The Roar of Destiny
by PJO Fan Power
Summary: Perseus Jackson, a Greek slave-turned-gladiator in Ancient Rome, is forced to fight in order to survive. However, he is not content with this lifestyle, and wishes to be free. But freedom does not come easily. Join Perseus on his journey, spanning Ancient Rome to modern day, with his attempts to be the master of his own fate. Updates will be weekly, hopefully. Rated T for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

The night was calm, free of clouds. The moon was bright over the Empire, proof of Lady Diana's support. And still, Perseus Jackson could not sleep. Training was all he knew. It had been, ever since he was a little boy, back in Greece. His sea-green eyes were sharp as he eyed the straw dummy, his fingers flexing around the training sword in his hand, his sculpted muscles still as he waited...

And then, at once, he struck. A slash removed the dummy's left arm, while a second one cut straight through the stomach until it hit the metal pole underneath. The sixteen year old male sighed at the flimsiness of the training sword, dropping it onto the ground in dissatisfaction. _'Tomorrow...'_ He thought. _'Tomorrow, I'll hold a real sword.' _The imitation sword was reasonable, he placated himself. After all, they wouldn't give a sword to an able-bodied slave, would they?

He laid down on the cot that was his bed, memories of his childhood flashing through his mind. Hours spent on the beaches in Delos, fresh bread with his mother, ripened fruit straight off of trees... Until the Romans had come. Greece had never had the largest population, or the most centralized government, both a result of the numerous mountain chains ripping through the region. The powerful Roman Legion had eaten the city-states for breakfast, much like how the Macedonians had nearly two centuries prior.

He remembered praying to Apollo, Delos' guardian, to see he and his mother safely through the raid. He was only answered halfway. He had nearly been killed alongside his mother's headless body, but one of the rougher soldiers had spoken to the others in Latin, which Perseus hadn't known at the time, and had said, "He will fight for me."

That had saved him from an execution, but life as a slave wasn't much better. For many years, he delivered letters between his Lord and his many mistresses, away from the sight of his Lady. Then, when he was ten and managed to acquire a knife, the soldier had decided to train him for the Colosseum instead... after disarming him and lashing him five times, naturally.

Perseus shivered, the cold breaking him out of his thoughts. He knew he only had a few hours left until the sun would rise, and his day of worthiness would begin. His eyes closed.

* * *

"Get up, boy," a voice growled, waking Perseus up. His eyes opened groggily to see his Lord standing at the doorway to his cell. To his right was the sword and dummy he had been hacking at the night prior. Quickly, he made his way out of the cot, blinking the weariness out of his gaze, careful not to show any weakness. Weaknesses were not allowed. In a way, Rome reminded him of the tales told of Sparta, where only the strongest men were able to fight.

"Put this on." The voice was absolute, unwavering. His Lord held out some bronze armor, which Perseus quickly slipped over his shoulders. "Follow me," he was beckoned, and so he did. In the hallway outside his cell, the man who had saved his life about a decade prior threatened to end it. "Try to run, and I will stop you. And trust me, I will take every single second possible, just so I can enjoy it." Perseus nodded in acceptance. He didn't plan on running, anyway.

Making their way out of the small house next to the Lord's manor, they quickly made their way to the bustling Roman streets. _'Land is power,' _Percy thought, noting how all of the other people went out of their way to make sure they weren't too close to his Lord. They made their way to the Colosseum, a brilliant stadium that towered above most of the surrounding city. The sun, combined with the armor, was starting to make Perseus' tanned skin sizzle, and sweat started to pool on his forehead.

Finally, shade came as they descended the steps into the preparation room for the gladiators. Dozens of other slaves were already there, geared up, and ready. Two overseers stood watch in full body armor, battleaxes in resting position. His Lord sat Perseus down, before handing him a sword that was on his side. "This sword is a sword of legend. Hercules, your Greeks' Heracles, wielded this blade. Now, it rests in your hands."

Perseus looked down at the blade, its simplicity... enchanting to him. _Anaklusmos _was engraved into one side in Greek letters. "Riptide..." He murmured. He looked up at his Lord. "Thank you."

The man simply grunted in response, standing up and turning his back. "Do not disappoint me," he spoke, walking back up the stairs. Perseus stood up, testing the sword, finding it to be perfectly balanced. About three feet long, the blade was longer than his arm, but he could feel that its force would be carried throughout. A few swishes of the blade allowed it to cut through the air perfectly, but the overseers' glaring stopped him from testing it any longer.

The gate at the end of the tunnel started to open, and a few of the gladiators started to inch forward toward the light. "Congratulations, gladiators," one of the voices spoke from the back. Perseus turned back to the overseers, who had leveled their weapons, and started to inch towards the group, forcing them into the light. "Try to last a bit longer than you usually do."

Perseus set his face into a blank stare, holding Riptide with his right hand, his armor losing its weight as he stepped out into the scorching sands of the arena. He looked around at the thousands of cheering Romans, momentarily disgusted at how easily distracted they were from the terrors of Rome. A low growl brought his eyes back to the other side of the stadium, causing him to gulp. Dozens of various monsters were gathered. Sighing, he readied Riptide and braced himself for the coming onslaught, determined to keep his life.

A loud horn signified the start of the fight. Some of the gladiators hung back, while other, more foolish slaves ran forward and, although catching a few monsters with their blades, were quickly slain. Perseus opted to stay back, judging when the right moment to strike would be. With some gladiators already down, the numbers were looking something like eight gladiators to eighty monsters. Perseus wasn't sure how many he could take down, but he was confident that he was the strongest out of the whole group.

Some of the gladiators were more worn, more experienced, but they simply weren't as sharp as he was. And he was a Greek. His whole tactic was using the unexpected to his advantage. Another gladiator to his left got antsy, charged, took out a half dozen monsters, and ended up impaled on the shaft of a spear. Perseus shook his head in disappointment.

Suddenly, a round of arrows were shot. Only his quick reflexes saved him from death as he dropped underneath the arrow, and parried the blow of a monster who rushed him before stabbing the humanoid creature in the chest, hopefully where its heart was, turning it to dust. Two other gladiators were not quite so lucky, one dying from an arrow through the eye, another being knocked down and almost overwhelmed, but was helped up by another slave who killed the two monsters trying to nibble at his downed comrade.

The numbers came back to Perseus. 71 monsters to six fighters was nowhere near fair, but fairness was not the point of these games. They were to placate the citizens of Rome while they starved, penniless. Watching the less fortunate be eaten by monsters was apparently appealing enough. He defended himself from another four monsters, although one landed a blow to his chest that sliced through his armor like butter before he was able to decapitate it.

He cursed softly at the blood dripping through his torn armor and shirt underneath. Another arrow was shot at him, but Riptide slashed it out of the air. He breathed deeply to keep his breath under control. The other gladiators seemed to be a bit more triumphant than the already deceased ones, each fighting with two or three enemies. The man that had been knocked down by the arrow seemed to be struggling against three monsters, so the tanned slave bound over to him.

He shoulder bashed one of the monsters before stabbing it through the abdomen, his sword coming clean out of the other side before the monster disappeared into golden dust. The man whose life he had just saved only nodded in gratuity, although Perseus cared not. All that mattered was getting out alive. And, he noted as he stared at the other side of the arena, the Minotaur was a great hindrance to that plan.

* * *

**Hello! Welcome to my newest fanfiction, _The Roar of Destiny_. This story will mainly feature a Percy that originates from the time of the Roman Empire, however not all of the story will take place then. This story is different from my other stories, because... drumroll, please... it will have an update schedule! Every week, I will be dropping a chapter between 1,000 to 2,000 words of content, either on Saturday or Sunday EST. I plan to keep this going for a year, and if I miss any updates, the next week will of course be a double update.**

**This will be my most updated story, although that does not mean I will be neglecting my other stories. If anything, I will be updating those more, too, because this will keep me in a writing mood.**

**Thank you, and farewell until next week for chapter two,**

**PJO Fan Power.**


	2. Chapter 2

The Minotaur was a great beast, standing at least a dozen feet tall. So far, it had been staying back, allowing the grunts to do most of the work for it. Its pride did not allow it to fight merely anyone. A gladiator had to prove themselves before it would face them. So... prove himself, Perseus would.

He made his way along the edge, light footsteps pattering on the sand before he was noticed by a monster with a large snout. Perseus leapt forward at cut the beast in half, but not before it let out a cry that rallied eight or so monsters around it. Perseus grit his teeth. Eight against one were not favorable odds, especially at once.

He made a sudden jump at the monster farthest to his right, Anaklusmos cutting through its heart in the blink of an eye. The audience cheered at the brutality, making Perseus' ears ring. He twirled around to parry another monster's claws, pushing it backwards into another two monsters. A monster to his right clawed at him, but the claws luckily slid off of his armor.

Perseus kicked the off-balance monster to the ground, proceeding to shove his sword hilt-deep into the head before quickly pulling the blade back out, sand sprinkling off of the sides as he lifted it. Two monsters approached from behind, but he whirled around and slashed through both, turning them into dust. While he was still finishing the swing, though, he heard another growl from his left side as a hellhound bared its teeth at him. _'Crap!' _He thought. '_I'm too off-balanced to parry!' _He braced himself for the blow, but it didn't come.

Instead, the gladiator he had saved had shield-bashed the hound, crushing its head like a sheet of glass. The man stood up, turning to Perseus. "I see the one you're going for, the big one, eh? I respect that. Kill it, and we can get out of this mess alive," he told him, turning back to another monster and smashing it with a warhammer. By now, most of the original eight monsters were dead, but four more had come due to the commotion.

The Greek clenched his jaw together, ready to bolt through the newcomers to get to his target. He readied his blade, the Romans' cheering fading to nothing more than a distinct thud in the background as he started to focus entirely on the fight, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Two steps forward, a slash. Sidestep, one step forward. A quick elbow to the head, impale through the back, rip out and slash. Pivot and kick. Jump, impale. The four monsters were gone in under twenty seconds, but Perseus couldn't care less.

His target, the Minotaur, was close. He ran up, surprising the beast, leaving a deep scratch in its leg. The beast stumbled, looked around wildly for its assailant, but Perseus was quick. As a slave, he had been heavily worked constantly. His muscles were larger than most of the Roman Legionnaires out fighting. And he was quick, too, a deadly combo. He tore through the back of the Minotaur's other leg, the monster's stability and mobility both heavily weakened.

Finally, the Minotaur caught sight of Perseus. It threw a quick punch at him, but Perseus was ready. He angled Riptide right above the monster's arm then pushed down, the angle letting the blade glide through the beast's flesh. However, the blow still glanced the sea green-eyed gladiator, throwing his back, into the sand. Riptide flew a few feet away, and he scrambled for it.

The Minotaur grabbed its battleaxe, a large weapon with two omega symbols for blades, and swung it at Perseus. He knew there was no chance of blocking the strike, so he opted to redirect it into the sand, using its own energy against it. The excess force of the blow still sent him reeling, though, and he slammed into the Colosseum wall. The monster reared back its arm and let the blow rain forward, but Perseus rolled the side. Bits of rock and dust went flying into his face, and he started coughing.

The monster growled, enraged that it's pray wasn't dead yet. Another monster tried to swoop in and finish off Perseus, but the larger beast crushed it with a closed fist. The fighter was HIS prey. He stepped back and leveled his horns, aiming at the puny mortal. He swarmed forward, but missed. The beast growled and moved to pull its head back, but... the two bull horns were embedded in the wall. The beast growled and pushed on the wall in an attempt to remove them, but it's own strength proved to be working against it.

Perseus saw his opportunity. Scaling up the Minotaur's leg, fingers digging into one of the cuts he had made earlier, he found himself quickly on top of the monster's backs, its entire body trembling as it attempted to be free from the wall. Quickly, Perseus made his way over to its neck, the monster's black blood dripping from his hand, and stabbed it right through the middle of where the head connected to the body. For insurance, Perseus made sure to twist the sword as far as he could. The monster froze, slumping into the wall, still held by its horns as it dissolved.

Perseus grabbed onto one of the horns in order to avoid falling off, and, to his surprise, once the rest of the monster dissipated into golden dust, the horn he held onto remained intact. Holding onto the horn with his hands and pushing off of the wall with his feet, the horn was removed, and Perseus fell eight feet to the ground, the fine sand softening his impact. The three other remaining gladiators bellowed their might, and, belatedly, Perseus realized that the Minotaur had been the last monster left in the arena.

The roar of the crowd grew louder, and the Romans started thumping their feet. In the grandstands, the Emperor, Gaius Octavius, better known as Augustus, smiled, and let his thumb raise up. The crowd roared with their leader's approval, and the gate from which they had came opened up. Back in the grandstands, near the Emperor, his Lord smiled, and Perseus smiled back.

He picked Riptide back up, and for a strange second, he felt a wave of warmth wash over him from the blade. _'Did it... accept me as its owner?' _He questioned to himself, but was given no further time to contemplate as the Roman Overseers lead him and the three other surviving gladiators to a much more lush room than the one they had originally found themselves in. Behind them, the Romans filed out of the Colosseum, clutching their free bread as they made their way back to the city, content with their miserable lives for a few days more.

Perseus suddenly found himself investigating the faces of the other gladiators, hoping to find the face of the man who had helped him earlier. The other three gladiators in the room did not match, their faces and hairstyles different as their weapons were taken, and their armor stripped. That meant the man had died, which wasn't as surprising as Perseus wished it was. He had been heavily struck by an arrow, and was no doubt heavily hurt throughout the rest of the fight. Perseus could only hope that in the Underworld, the man knew that he had been victorious.

* * *

Watching the citizens file out of the arena, Augustus sneered at how easily the masses were controlled. Give them a bit of bread, a bit of entertainment, and they were content with their terrible conditions. He grinned as all of the lost gold bet on the monsters made their way into the tunnels beneath the arena, straight to the Royal Vault.

He frowned. The lost gold bet on the monsters... he hadn't seen it coming. In his lifetime, the Minotaur had never been bested. He turned to a close friend, who happened to be the slave's owner, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a great general and architect. "Where did you get the boy?" He asked Agrippa, who thought for a second.

"Delos. An island in Greece. I have trained him well, no? He shall bring us great glory." Augustus pondered this for a second. Perhaps the boy was a demigod? He shook his head. It meant nothing to him. He would just keep throwing monsters at the boy until he died. The last thing he needed was a descendant of the gods challenging his place as emper- Ahem, _Imperator Caesar_ of Rome.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. As I promised, your weekly update! I did not get much reception on the last chapter, but I hope this one is okay! Please favorite, follow, and review, thank you!**

**\- PJO Fan Power**

_Finished 1:52 AM, 2/2/2020._


	3. Chapter 3

Fourteen days later, Perseus walked out of the Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum, for the third time in a row. After his first win, he had been quickly shepherded back to his Lord's manor. He was attended to by a servant girl he had never met before, who seemed almost jealous of him as she drew his bath.

That night, for the first time in his life that he could remember, he slept on a bed and pillow, both filled with genuine feathers plucked from fine hens. The reminder of the division of Rome's money hadn't been enough to keep him from relaxing on the soft fabric as his mind wandered into bliss. For the first time in the night, he dreamt.

Seven days later, the next Thursday, he had his second bout in the Colosseum. Once again, one hundred monsters had faced him and nineteen other gladiators, the same odds as the original fight. This time, however, he was with a group of lesser-trained warriors. His jaw tightened, he saw it for what it was - a test. The nation of Rome was testing him - and he would prove successful.

Now having to deal with too many other fighters trying to stick to his side, Perseus was hard-pressed to sneak attack the greater monster on the field - an ouroboros. Unlike it's many depicted forms, this snake was not preoccupied with its own tail. Rather, it had plentiful spirals along its body that Perseus had the unfortunate task of learning firsthand were extremely difficult to pierce. Whenever it was attacked, the ouroboros would spin, the combination of the spirals and rotating force blocking any sword attack that came its way.

However, after cutting open the monster's cheek from the inside, he dragged his sword along the side of the serpent's body, the magic of the spirals failing as the creature was rendered unable to twirl around effectively. He was once again a champion, although this battle had seemed more like a test than the first one. Almost as if someone was trying to figure out his limits.

Once again, he was given a bath by the same slave, who now openly eyed him with disdain, although made no comment out of fear of retribution. That night, sleep was difficult. His gut told him to be careful, but after a few hours, his eyes finally closed.

Finally, today. This battle was even easier. While there had been only half as many gladiators, there was no greater monster. And yet, the crowds had cheered just as loudly as before. After, his Lord had pulled him aside and given him shocking news.

"I don't know why, but Imperator Caesar Augustus has taken an interest in you, boy. You've done... adequately thusfar, no doubt thanks to my training as well as that blade." The compliment seemed to come out rather awkwardly, but his Lord used it has a chance to boost his own ego. "Do not dishonor me, or I will bring you back to life just to kill you again." The threat seemed... rather bleak. Perseus didn't know if his Lord could do that, but wasn't willing to take the chance anyway.

The slave girl, who he had finally realized was quite beautiful underneath the grime that surrounded her, once again drew his bath. Meeting her gaze, Perseus realized that while her eyes held ire, it was not towards him. Going back to sleep on the bed, his eyes closed quickly. Moments after Hypnos, or rather, Somnus had claimed him, his eyes opened once again in a world seemingly separate from his own.

Instinctively, his hand drew to his hair, where Anaklusmos had taken to resting in the form of a hairpin. After the first bout, he had felt a sort of attachment to the blade that he hadn't felt to anything before - a sort of... comfort. He had deposited it with a guard after the battle, as per the rules of all gladiators, but had only walked for a few moments before he felt a weight settle in his hair, proving to be Riptide.

Now, however, it wasn't there. That left two possibilities - one bad, one good. The bad possibility was that he was in a place where a being's power was greater than that of whomever had created Anaklusmos, thus not allowing it to transport to his hair. The good possibility was that he had been summoned by some sort of god or goddess, and was in no such danger. Without further evidence, though, he looked around wildly for an object to use as a weapon.

As he examined the room he was in, he realized that unless his summoner was an idiot, it was unlikely he was in great danger. Around the room, there were varying items, plenty of which could be used as weapons. And, as he looked around the room further, it seemed quite... comforting. While in the style of a gallery, with vibrant oil sketches, and busts of various figures, there was a calm fire in the corner, giving off a soothing feeling as he looked at it.

All of the sudden, tinkling laughter pulled him from his thoughts. Whirling around, a candlestick at the ready, he found himself staring down a corridor, a short, lone figure walking down it. Eyes widening, Perseus realized his company, as well as his current position of aggression. Quick as a viper, he knelt down on one knee, face staring towards the ground, the candlestick's flame hissing as he pressed it out against the marble floor. "Lady Vesta, it is a great honor to make your acquaintance."

The goddess laughed in response, the only one of the gods and goddesses willing to be seen in a childlike form, intimidation being no part of her mindset. "Rise, young hero. You are Greek, call me Hestia." She smiled warmly at him, although his head was still ducked as he rose from his knee. Lady Ves- _Hestia _was a great deal of the reason he was alive. His birth had been difficult, and if it hadn't been for Ladies Hestia, Hera, and Artemis, the goddesses of childbirth in various forms, he would've been born still.

"Lady Hestia," He acknowledged. "May I ask why you have summoned me?"

The girl nodded, and Perseus realized with a small amount of amusement that he, a muscled warrior, bowing to this small girl, appearing to be less than half his age, would have been utterly ridiculous in any other setting.

"The gods and goddesses of Olympus have taken notice of your skill. Have no doubt, one of them is your father."

Perseus' eyes widened at how casually the divine being dropped that bombshell. He nearly blurted out, wanting to ask if she knew which, but held his tongue. She was a goddess, after all! Instead, he nodded for her to continue.

"You are in danger if you keep fighting, and are one of the last chances for Greek to survive in the future. I implore you to think of your life when you wake." Perseus thought about this for a second, but something in his mind clicked, and he nodded in acceptance. "One last thing, Perseus..." She starting speaking as she walked back down the corridor. "Zoë is a friend."

That cryptic message remained in his head as Perseus bolted upright in bed, his hand quickly finding the hair clip that was the other form of Anaklusmos in his hair. Sunlight streamed into the room, signifying that it was morning. Shaking his first encounter with a deity out of his mind, keeping the message tucked safely away, he fell back onto the bed, enjoying the softness of the material for a few more minutes, a feeling his gut told him he would soon find hard-pressed to keep.

* * *

**Chapter three is up! Rather early tonight, usually I write around 10 or 11, but I started around 8 this time. This chapter had a little bit less action, and a little more plot involved. A little more foreshadowing, too. Something big will happen! Oh, and if you didn't see it, ****Zoë exists. Magic. Most likely won't be a ship though.**

**Enjoy!  
\- PJO Fan Power**

**Finished 9:15 PM, 2/8/2020**


	4. Chapter 4

When Perseus awoke again, the world was on fire. Quite literally, it seemed like everything around him was burning to the ground. He threw himself out of the bed, coughing as smoke began to fill his lungs. He drew his sword, the bronze gleaming brightly as it reflected the light the fire around him gave off. Breaking through the ceiling-to-floor window that laid to the right of the bed, he realized that the rest of the city of Rome was alight as well.

He hopped down from the balcony, rolling on the dirt outside of the manor. He looked back at the manor, almost entirely consumed with flames. He didn't care about anyone in there, but... he turned to the other house that had flames slowly licking towards it... he needed the keys to the slave's quarters. He rushed back into the house, this time on the ground floor.

He burst into the master bedroom. His Lord was sitting there, charred to a crisp, but Perseus could barely bring a shred of pity to his eyes. The man meant nothing to him. He grabbed the keys on the bedside table, then made his way quickly back out. The flames had reached the quarters by the time he was out of the manor, and the heat was blistering.

Perseus jammed the keys into the lock, but the door refused to open. Growling, he twisted the keys harder, only for the cheap metal to snap due to the combination of stress and heat. The sea-green eyed gladiator yelled out in anger, but realized a simple solution. Quickly, he switched his sword to his right hand and cut through the door hinges, letting the door fall towards him before he jumped out of the way.

Empty. The slave's quarters were empty. He checked every room, remembering the terrible conditions he had lived in less than a month prior. Yep, there was nobody in there. Getting to the last room, where the walls were starting to turn red from the heat, he saw why - a large hole had been cut through the exterior. Someone else had already saved them - but who? Perseus was quickly given an answer when he heard a sound behind him.

The girl who had been serving him ever since he had won in the Colosseum weeks prior stood there, her face much cleaner than the past two weeks. Perseus had been correct - she was pretty. Very pretty, indeed. He kept his eyes on her face, noting the two blades on her hips. Riptide was still at the ready, though he made no move to swing it.

"Well done, boy," She spoke. Her voice was like snow - smooth, but cold. It was like a slap in the face when compared to their surroundings. "I thought that you would leave these ones to die, if you even made it out of the house, but my Mistress was convinced otherwise, for some reason. She was correct, it seems."

Perseus frowned. "Thanks... I think. Who are you, and what have you been doing here for the past fortnight? I'd never seen you before that night, and you're only proving that you're no simple _servi privati_."

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're so dull. Didn't Lady Hestia tell you?" Perseus' eyes widened at her use of the Greek goddess' name.

"I assume you're Zoë, then?" The girl sighed.

"Yes, now that we've got that out of the way, can we leave this blasted furnace? I have no desire to test whether or not I'm fireproof." Somewhere else in the building, a beam collapsed, but the girl didn't even flinch at the noise. Perseus nodded, making his way out of the hole in the wall. Once again, he was greeted by the sight of Rome in flames. Concentrating, he heard it - yelling. He sighed. Another peasant revolt. Popping his joints, he started walking towards the center of the Eternal City.

Zoë quickly tried to lead Perseus to the forest at the edge of the property, but realized after a few moments that he was not following her.

"Where are you going?" Zoë questioned, seeming slightly annoyed. Perseus turned around, grinned at her, and winked.

"I've got a tyrant to kill."

* * *

Most of the guards were in the city, putting down the rebellion. Perseus sprinted through the city, feeling free to get his revenge on the guards whenever he saw them. He felt no love for Rome, and knew he was right in bringing justice to these filth. Everything had fallen into place - his repeated participation in the Colosseum, his Lord telling him about the Imperator Caesar's interest in him, and Lady Hestia appearing to him in a vision...

The Imperator Caesar was trying to kill him. Perseus didn't know why, but he was certain of it. He made his way to the palace, the roads becoming more and more steeped in flames as he got closer to the center of the city. Then, like bursting through a veil, he saw it. The palace was devoid of flames, oddly enough. The rioters were possibly afraid of divine interference. Perseus grinned at that. Divine interference... check.

He burst into the palace, but had difficulty finding the throne room due to the maze-like corridors. "Damn, couldn't have a map or something?" He questioned half-jokingly as he got to a split passageway. As he was deciding which path to choose, a sheet of fire suddenly appeared, covering one entrance. Perseus' eyes widened. "That works too, thank you, Lady Hestia." A calming warmth, different from the one coming from the flames outside, let him know that his appreciation was heard.

Finally, he made it to the throne room. Imperator Caesar Augustus was sitting on a golden throne, two terrified handmaidens feeding him grapes as they listened to the screams outside. The man seemed to have lost his mind, his eyes glazed over as he stared in Perseus' general direction. "Lord Jupiter? Is that you, here, to elevate me to a god?" He suddenly laughed maniacally. "Of course it is! How could I have ever been worried about that puny _Graecus_?" Perseus' eyes narrowed.

"You tried to kill me. I don't really appreciate that, Imperator Caesar." Perseus quickly closed the gap between himself and Augustus, the latter's eyes clearing in horrified realization a second before Perseus got there and chopped off his head. Dark red blood spurted out of the neck, a clean cut, and Riptide dug a few inches into the gold throne behind the headless corpse. The two handmaidens screamed and ran, making Perseus feel slightly regretful for a moment before he put it out of his mind.

The crimson blood dripped off of Anaklusmos as Perseus turned it back into a hair clip. Sighing, he saw that the tip of the hair clip was now red as well. _'I wonder if that will ever go back to normal?' _Somehow, he knew that the blade was as changed as he was as he walked out of the throne room, the former Imperator Caesar's body slumping onto the floor behind him.

* * *

**I felt like this was a good place to end the chapter. Only 1200 words this time, but that's okay. Lots of symbolism at the end of the chapter, there. I actually don't think I got a single review on chapter three, though, which makes me sad... I'm a sucker for reviews, people. They encourage me to write more :P**

**Thanks!**  
**PJO Fan Power, over and out (until next week!)**


	5. Chapter 5

Zoë watched with disinterest from the rafters of the imperial palace. The boy that her lady had been so... _intrigued_ by... Perseus. He seemed disgusted with himself after killing the emperor. She sighed as she saw the blade she had given Heracles all those years ago become tainted by mortal blood. She knew, from experience, magical weapons never got rid of that little bit of blood. If she ever saw this mortal again, she would be interested to see what color her old hairpin had become.

The Huntress stood up. This little 'guard-mission' no longer required her attention. Below her, her actions were mirrored by Perseus as he walked out of the Great Hall. Neither of them bore witness to a black glow enveloping Augustus' body as it disappeared.

* * *

Rome was still burning. Augustus' death didn't change that fact. But that was all the better for Perseus. His goal was to bring the Greek Empire back from its absolute defeat. Zoë was nowhere to be found, but Perseus considered the fact that he didn't currently have an arrow in his head good enough to forgo worrying.

All of the sudden, a presence from behind him caused him to turn. This was his first time meeting a goddess in real life, and the power gap between them was simply... overwhelming.

Perseus knelt down on one knee and bowed, "Lady Hestia."

"Rise, my hero," she spoke, waiting for Perseus to stand before she continued. "You have gotten your revenge on Augustus. Was it worth it?" Perseus bit back an instinctual response, knowing that death by hellfire wouldn't be good for his physique.

"Of course it was, it was everything I needed..." Even as he said them, Perseus realized that he was only trying to convince himself. Hestia rolled her eyes, her nine-year-old form shifting to a twenty-year-old one.

"We both know what you truly want. I am willing to help you restore Greece to glory, but on one condition..."

Perseus nodded seriously. "Whatever it is, I agree, my Lady," he told her readily. Hestia smiled warmly.

"Such compassion... I want you to help the gods and goddesses become better rulers. Immortals... resist change with fervor. We do not have that human aspect of mortality. In a way, I am jealous of you..." Perseus gaped. A goddess, jealous of him? "Oh, yes. Jealous indeed. Because, after all... death is what gives life its meaning."

"I will do my best and greater, my Lady," Perseus informed the goddess, who continued smiling.

"That is wonderful to hear. However..." The Goddess of the Hearth suddenly grew serious. "This journey will take a great deal of time. Hundreds, if not thousands of years. If you are to restore Greece, you will have to gain partial immortality. You will still be able to fall in battle, but will be immune to the passage of time. I have already crafted a plan, but it requires your approval..."

The former slave didn't hesitate for a moment. "Whatever it is, I agree. My duty to Greece is greater than anything that could happen to me, my Lady." Hestia shook her head, frowning slightly, her eyes showing slight amounts of pity, but proceeded to explain.

"So," she started, "immortality can only be granted by a majority vote from the Olympian council. That is, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, myself, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Hermes. I am one vote, I have lobbied Artemis for your second vote on the condition that she is assured that your heart is pure. A third vote will be from your father, whom is one of these gods. Zeus, Hera, and Athena will no doubt vote against you..." she trailed off, seeing the calculating look on the young hero's face.

"So that leaves us to convince Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Hephaestus, and Hermes to help me accomplish my goal?" He asked. Hestia nodded. "I don't suppose that you able to tell me which is my father?"

Hestia shook her head regretfully. "I am aware of your godly parent. However, I am forbidden by the Ancient Laws from informing you of your parenthood, just as the Ancient Laws forbid him from visiting you." The demigod grew slightly angry at this.

"So many of the tales depict gods and goddesses breaking these 'Ancient Laws', then! What is enforcing them?" He questioned angrily. Hestia smiled sorrowfully. All of the sudden, a large sound resounded as the front wall of the imperial palace collapsed on itself, the roof following quickly, both sending embers flying into the air, the fire finally taking its toll on the building. Perseus immediately thought about the two handmaidens that he had seen at Augustus' side. Hestia, reading his thoughts, smiled. He truly was a hero.

"For your first god, I have chosen Apollo, your home _polis_' sacred guardian. In the eastern part of the Roman Empire, he has birthed an especially powerful son. His son, however, grew up in a Jewish household, and does not believe in the Greek traditions. He has gone around healing people in the name of the Jewish people's God. Hades has grown particularly angry at him for saving the lives of evil people who deceived him. Apollo has requested that he be killed as a sacrifice to appease the God of the Underworld, in order to avoid a war." Perseus eyebrows furrowed.

"Apollo wishes for me to kill his son for saving the lives of others?" Hestia shook her head vehemently, surprising the demigod, causing him to stop his stride that he had never realized that he had started, which had led him outside the burning city.

"Apollo wishes for you to kill his son so that his progeny can escape being tortured for eternity by Hades, which is no doubt the path he will go down if he continues to save the lives of others." Perseus' eyes widened.

"So, he wishes for me to kill him to save him from an even worse fate?" Hestia nodded.

"Exactly. If he dies now, he will instead be given Elysium for his good deeds." Perseus nodded. He reminded himself to not judge others so hastily - he had nearly labelled Apollo as a terrible being who wanted his son dead for annoying him. Gods were more complex that he had thought, he realized.

"I will do it," Perseus beat his heart with his fist. "What is the son's name?" He asked, eager to know more about his mission.

"You will find him in the kingdom of Antioch, and trust me, you will know when you have found him. He has gained a rather large following. He is often called Jesus, the son of Christ."

* * *

Perseus found himself upon a hill in Jerusalem. Eight months earlier, if you would've told him that he would be watching, and be genuinely happy about a child of Apollo being nailed to a cross, he would've laughed. But after Lady Hestia had showed him the correct path that fateful day in Rome, he had done whatever it had taken in order to ensure the death of Jesus Christ.

The Roman soldiers gathered were not particularly excited about hanging the 'Son of Christ', either. But the Jewish leaders were gathering soon in Jerusalem - if the leader of the new Christianity was left alive, they would have a rather large rebellion on their hands from the Jewish population of Jerusalem. Perseus noted the other prisoner whom the crowd had voted to be let live rather than Jesus, making a mental note to kill him later - he truly deserved death.

Perseus stayed longer than the rest of the crowd, who quickly dispersed after the godchild had stopped moving. He watched as the blood stopped flowing from the wounds of the body as it ran out. Far above, the sun dimmed, then disappeared for a few minutes, the entire world cold and dark as Apollo mourned for his child. Perseus walked forward slowly, stopping in front of the body.

He pulled a gold _drachma _out of his bag, placing it in the mouth of the son of Apollo. "Safe passages," he murmured as the golden coin dissolved quickly as the Christchild moved on to the afterlife. The sun peaked out a slight bit, a golden ray illuminating the area around Perseus, including the now-dead body. In his head, Perseus heard the words, _'Thank you...' _whispered by a masculine voice as he received Apollo's approval. Perseus smiled grimly. A victory - but at what cost?

Perseus stuck around for only a few days after Jesus' death. In the past two months, he had grown rather close to the carpenter - he was wise beyond his years, and gave plenty of good advice throughout their constant travels. Unfortunately, he was also unable to tell him of his relation to Apollo, an odd reminder of Hestia's inability to tell him of his own father. He kept feeling a pull in his gut, pulling to everything around him. He got the feeling that he was close to figuring it out, he just needed another push.

The light bent for a few days after the crucifixion, causing visions of Jesus all across Jerusalem, the Sun God's final memorial for his fallen child. Perseus himself took great honor in seeing the final vision fade into the sky in the view of plenty of onlookers. '_Rest now, Percy. You did well._' Came the voice of his Lady, Hestia. He smiled. He was off to a good start, now.

* * *

**Chapter five - one month in, and still going strong! Please don't get mad at me for saying Jesus was a son of Apollo - in this universe, I actually think it fits incredibly well. Also, yeah, I tried to be as accurate as I could in this chapter. Jesus was indeed Roman. Scientists have theorized that there was a total solar eclipse on the day of Jesus' crucifixion, which is actually incredibly interesting.**

**Please leave a review (and not a flame, please)! This is not intended to disrespect anyone's beliefs, religion, or opinions. It's just me using an interesting part of history as my story.**

**Until next week,**

**\- PJO Fan Power!**


	6. Chapter 6

"So... Hephaestus is asking me to break into his forge and shut down his own workers?" This question was the finishing touch of an fifteen-minute-long conversation between the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia, and a young man who was starting to become known as 'Apollyon', Perseus Jackson.

"Yes," affirmed Hestia, who had already seen how this conversation was going to go.

"Why can't he do it himself? Is he that prideful?"

Hestia sighed. "That pride is something that you can use to gain your immortality," she reminded him. Perseus sighed as well in response.

"So, in order to basically make sure nobody else knows about him screwing up his automatons, I'm doing his dirty work for him?" Hestia nodded reluctantly. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully.

"You see..." She started, then reconsidered. "No, I won't try to shimmy past it. If the other gods knew that Hephaestus had some faulty automatons, they might start to doubt his forging skills. I personally believe that some of their circuitry melted since they are literally working inside an active volcano, but it doesn't matter. I think this is perfect for you since it will allow you to gain some more fighting experience against non-monsters..." The words, _'and non-humans' _were left unsaid. The Greek warrior slowly nodded.

"I... think I understand, my Lady. I apologize for doubting you." Hestia let a relieved smile show on her face. She truly didn't want to force Perseus into doing anything he didn't honestly want to do.

"It is not a problem, my Gladiator. I understand your incredulity - and I appreciate it. Mindless force can easily be turned in the wrong direction." This time, Perseus had a confused expression on his face.

"I... don't know what that means, but whatever it does, my Lady, I will not disappoint." The goddess laughed before she nodded seriously, and then flashed away, giving Perseus plenty of time to cover his eyes. Perseus turned southwards towards his destination, around the middle of the Italian peninsula - Hephaestus' fourth-biggest forge on the continent, Mount Vesuvius.

* * *

To get to his destination, Perseus was forced to travel through the city of his enslavement - Rome. He scoffed. _'I guess all roads truly _do _lead to Rome_,' he thought scornfully. The city had been rebuilt in the 12 months he had been gone, grander than before. Perseus nodded. He had heard all about Tiberius - who seemed to be quite the opposite of Augustus.

Tiberius seemed to push for a more democratic type of government - he hardly wanted to be a dictator. Perseus sincerely doubted that, but was determined to try and not kill Augustus' stepson.

As it turned out, however, Tiberius wasn't even in the city while Perseus visited. _'An absentee landlord, eh?' _The former slave thought as he took in this information at a pub. He had been buying drinks all night, but the alcohol wasn't even coming close to inebriating him. Paying his tab, Perseus made his way out of the small business, but only made it about twenty feet before someone jumped out at him from a dark side-alley, almost invisible in the night. Almost.

Perseus' sword flashed, knocking his would-be assailant's dagger to the ground behind him, shocking the cloaked figure. "Did you really think I didn't notice you?" The cloaked figure started to stutter, but the gladiator interrupted him. "I wasn't talking to you." He kicked his right foot back, launching the dagger into a second mugger's arm, who staggered back into the wall in shock before slumping to the ground, cradling his arm.

"Wicked..." The first assailant murmured, making Perseus turn back to him. "I had heard rumors that 'Apollyon' was coming to Rome, but I wasn't sure..." Perseus shook his head.

"You heard that a trained warrior was coming through, and your first thought to attack him?" Perseus heard a cough from the downed man behind him.

"We din' know that ye' were he'," he spoke through coughs. "We jus' knew dat ye' had sil'ur." The boy said, referring to the coin that Perseus had paid for his drinks with.

"Mighty hard to come by, innit'?" The first boy asked, smiling conspiratorially. Perseus narrowed his eyes, his head darting around, looking for more onlookers.

"Do you always talk this much?"

"I got a mouth, don't I?" Perseus considered it.

"You're lucky I don't feel like killing anyone tonight, or else you wouldn't have a mouth, or a head for that matter, in about five seconds." The bluntness of the statement shut the kid up, and Perseus threw him to the ground, noting another dagger falling out of the boy's pant leg. He knelt down and picked it up, then crossed the street and picked up the other knife out of the other boy's shoulder, making him groan in pain and whimper.

Perseus examined the two blades closely, noting two small insignias, one at the base of each blade. One was a sickle and the other was a blade. "What do these mean?" Perseus turned to the first attacker, who was now catching his breath against the opposing wall.

"Pluto if I know. They're my father's only gift to me. He was a farmer, but joined the Roman Legion before I was born, according to mi mama. Theys' the only things mama ever forbid me from selling at the market. I think they're pure bronze, which would solve all of our problems, but something stops me." Apollyon scoffed.

"Your father's only gift to you, and you use it to mug people?" He twirled around, throwing both knives at the boy, one embedding itself on each side of the boy's head. "Honor your father. Use them better." He started to walk off, but stopped for a moment, digging a silver coin out of his pocket and it behind him. "Congrats," He spoke as he heard it '_plink_' against the ground. He moved on, and didn't look back.

A few minutes later, as he neared the edge of Rome, he felt another warmth envelop him, although this was different than Hestia's or Apollo's, but still felt godly. He had somehow managed to appease another god or goddess, but was unsure how. Artemis, perhaps? Even as he walked out of the city, continuing southward, he still failed to come up with an answer.

* * *

**Very late, but I finished this chapter! Just over 1,000 words unfortunately, but I felt that this little bit of his time through Rome works best as its own chapter. I'd love to hear your guys' guesses on the god that he appeased! I hinted it very heavily towards the end.**

**This chapter was more to show his prowess as a fighter, but also the fact that he isn't just some badass warrior who thinks he is better than everyone else. Hephaestus' favor will be probably the next two or three chapters, not just a small blerp like Apollo's. Also, note the time passage - it takes a long time to get around in this day and age!**

**Thanks for reading, and until next week, see ya!**

**\- PJO Fan Power**


	7. Chapter 7

The distance from Rome to Vesuvius was about 150 miles. Perseus had theorized that, at a good pace, he could get there in just under two months. Hopefully, the automatons wouldn't have wrecked everything in there by then.

His plan quickly went sideways when he caught onto a string of pillages occurring throughout the region. Village after village, he was only moments too late... until now. Quite like Rome months prior, the village was on fire. However, this time, it wasn't the citizens who had started it. It was German barbarians. Perseus arrived on the scene, sword already in his hand. He still had no armor, however.

The first German he ran into was looting a house. A well-placed blow to the back of the head send him out of commission, but his startled yelp alerted the others to his presence. Perseus swore. That would make things a little bit more difficult, and he had no idea the fighting capabilities of these brutes. His second and third opponents appeared in the entrance to the house. The destroyer grinned.

He rushed forward, thrusting his sword into the hip of one barbarian, shoving it further in with the palm of his hand. He made sure to not make the thrust lethal. He found his blade only reacted when a soul was extinguished. The red was now a bit further down along the blade due to the death of the criminal in Jerusalem, as well as a few other unsavories that he had found in the past year.

Perseus brought his left elbow around his back to knock it into the head of the other German, who had been preparing to strike. He was knocked over his comrade, and fell onto the ground. Perseus made a quick swipe to sever his right leg, ensuring he wouldn't be joining the fight any time soon. The other barbarian was still keeled over, trying to stem the blood flow from his open wound. Perseus delivered a swift blow with the hilt of his sword.

He rushed out of the building to find a small gathering of Germans in the main square of the village. There were at least six of them. The German who was barking orders at the others seemed to finally notice him as he barked out some sentences in the German language. "_Es ist ein kleiner Junge! Geh! Geh_!" Three of the Germans ran towards Perseus, who quickly dispatched them. He moved steadily toward the leader, who remained unmoved.

The two other enemies came at him, and he ducked under one's blow and sent it travelling into the other's chest before delivering a brutal uppercut to his jaw. He stalked towards the leader, who grinned darkly and took out his own weapon... a Roman _Hasta_. A mercenary, then? Perhaps unsatisfied with not being paid, he had gathered a group and started to terrorize villages, instead.

Perseus advanced. Riptide came from the right, but the German quickly blocked it. The solidity of his defense was... admirable. Perseus' blow only moved him about half a foot backwards. The barbarian counterattacked. He tried to sweep Perseus' legs out from under him, but the Greek jumped. Predicting this, however, the mercenary took advantage of his helpless state and punched him with his left arm. Perseus shot backwards, hitting his shoulder on a well, breaking away some of the stone. Perseus grit his teeth as he struggled to his feet. He was pretty sure that the punch had broken at least a rib, if not two.

He wished, not for the first time, that he knew who his father was so he knew what powers he had. Or, at the very least, another weapon with a longer range. The German's weapon was multiple feet longer than _Anaklusmos_. Again, he dashed, ducking under the barbarian's guard. He slashed at both legs, but the man elicited barely more than a grunt. The spear swung around and hit Perseus in the side, making him momentarily lose feeling in his left arm.

Perseus dropped between the other man's legs, slashing again at one of them, this time causing a deeper cut. The German howled in pain and anger, wildly swinging around, trying to hit Perseus. "_Doof, doof, doof!" _He yelled, agony lacing through his words. Perseus grinned. Victory was close. He finished his slide and grabbed onto a loose piece of stone from the well earlier, chucking it at the German. He blocked it, causing it to explode into fine powder, blinding the man.

Perseus rushed in slicing off the lower half of the man's right arm, going straight through the joint to hit the least resistance. He paused for a second - he had never thought about that before. That development was new. That second, however, allowed the German, fueled by rage, to grab Perseus' arm and swing him around, making Perseus, for a moment, glad that he couldn't feel his left arm currently. All of the sudden, the brute froze. Then, he slumped to the ground. His grip released, Perseus fell to the ground, quickly getting up, warily eyeing the newcomer.

A teenage girl stood there, a slightly haunted look on her face. Her gray eyes were wide as she held the hilt of the blade piercing the dead barbarian's spinal cord. Perseus turned his sword back into a hairpin to show that he meant no harm. The girl looked at him, blood splattered in her hair, face, and on her clothes. Perseus didn't have to be Prometheus to realize that not all of the blood had come from this moment.

She stuttered, withdrawing the blade shakily from the man's neck, pointing it at Perseus, although the weight was almost too great for her, the tip dipping heavily towards the ground. "D-don't come... come closer!" She screamed in horror. Perseus realized that he was probably covered in the blood of his past eight enemies, as well as his own, and didn't look the most inviting. "I-I killed him! I'll k-kill... kill you too!" Perseus held out his hands in a placating gesture.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I promise. I came here to stop him," he explained. The girl barely moved, the only indication she heard him being a shiver. Suddenly she broke into sobs and dropped the sword, falling to her knees on the ground. Perseus, putting two and two together, realized that the rest of the blood on her might've been from her family's murder.

"Hey, shh shh shh," he spoke comfortingly. '_Lady Hestia, some help here, please?' _He asked his patron. A warm glow surrounded the two, helping calm the girl down slightly. Perseus also felt his arm and ribs heal, something he hadn't thought about before.

_'Of course, my hero. I also fixed you up, as well. Somehow, I'm not surprised you forgot about your own injuries already.' _Hestia spoke to him, ending the sentence off with a slight giggle. The girl in front of him stopped sniffling, wiping her tears on her sleeve, some of the blood on her face coming off as well.

"You fought well," Perseus told her. He wasn't exactly sure how to calm down a girl who had just seen her family get murdered, and then killed another human being. Hades, he wasn't sure if he was _supposed _to! The girl looked at him, sniffling again. "Thank you... for helping me out at the end, there."

The girl's eyes widened and brightened, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face, before it slipped away just as quickly. "Yes..." She whispered. Her voice was hoarse, possibly from crying.

"What's your name?" Perseus asked. "I could use somebody like you on my adventure," He hadn't meant to say that, but it felt... right. Almost like it was fated to occur.

The girl stared up at him, before finally saying, "Alexandria... My name is Alexandria..."

* * *

**A slightly longer chapter this week! Sorry for the late updates, last night I was working on Magic and Marvel, although that's not really a good excuse. Sorry 'bout that. So, yes, Perseus is on his way to Vesuvius! He has gained a travelling companion, although I must warn you... Don't get too attached to her lol.**

**Til next week,**

**\- PJO Fan Power**

**Final content word count: 1,342 words.  
Finished: 11:16 PM, 3/8/2020.**


	8. Chapter 8

Alexandria had never known her mother. Her father had been a tailor in the village she had been found in, and they had had a good life together. Until these barbarians had invaded, and killed him right in front of her. Three minutes too late was the first time she killed a man. Eight minutes later was the second. She had rushed into the square, saw the man that was the leader, undoubtedly. Another man was fighting with him.

She didn't think, she didn't plan... she just... _reacted_. It was unlike her, really. She was so used to planning everything out - she had always helped her father design new clothing and customize apparel. But something told her to move... so she did. She had put the sword through the man's neck before she could even notice what she was doing. She wasn't sure how she had lifted it, for the gods' sake! It was too heavy for her to even carry. She had found it on the ground, and perhaps she had been blessed to wield it for a moment. Perhaps her mother was watching over her...

And then... the man. He looked at her, but not in fear. She knew how she looked. A vagabond, a lunatic. He looked at her in appreciation. And then he offered her his arm... and she took it.

His name, she found out, was Perseus Jackson. He was tall, muscular - quite, and his jaw was chiseled as if out of marble. His dark hair, and eyes that seemed to shimmer between blue and green enraptured her. He was, indeed, not unlike the tales her Pa used to tell her, about Adonis and Theseus. Greek heroes, Greek gods... things that, if the government had every truly cared about what its people thought, would've gotten him killed.

He was, to be fair, the opposite of her in many ways. She was short to his tall, blonde to his black, grey to his green, and... She giggled. Smart to his dumb. Intellectually, at least. But the first time she was hungry, he found her a doe, and in the time she could've done a small alteration to a dress, he had it caught, skinned, and cooked. He hadn't known his parents, either. He was Greek, indeed! Delos... she tried to imagine a place other than the village she grew up. A place with lots of sun, beaches... the ocean... She envied him.

He was on a quest, too. He had told her that as well. He had taken time out of his travels to take down the Germans who were upset with the government's rules and intolerance, and so had gone off on their own. Just in time to save her life, really. She wouldn't have been able to fight off all of those brutes alone. She looked up at him. Currently, they were travelling southward, to the city of Pompeii, or so. The sun was shining through the trees - forestry she had never seen before, as she had never left her village. It glinted off his hair, his bronze skin.

She smiled. For the first time in a while, life seemed good.

* * *

The man being thought about was enraptured in telling the tale of his first fight in the Colosseum to his newcomer of a friend. He had deduced that talking about sprinting through the alleys of Rome to deliver messages to his old Lord's women that he bedded without his own's knowledge... wasn't the correct path to go. However, Alexandria seemed to be engrossed in thinking. She did that a lot, he noted.

He had also finally figured out who he had gained the approval of when he had been in Rome - Ares. The God of War himself. It made sense... the boy he had spared was most definitely a child of Mars. The story of the farm and the war... it all added up. His new knowledge showed, as well. When he thought about efficiency in battle, it was there, such as knowing to target the joint when separating the German's forearm from the rest of his body.

Back to Alexandria, who had insisted that he call her Alex, he had already started to think of the girl as a little sister. She was fourteen to his seventeen, he found out. And... he was starting to have thoughts about who her mother was. He was aware that missing a parent didn't always mean a demigod, but Hestia had been free to converse with, and she had confirmed his thoughts with a wink.

Athena. Alex, the daughter of Athena. Minerva wasn't as well-known of a god in Roman culture as she had been in Greek culture. But that didn't mean she was any less powerful. However... Athena was a goddess bound to be against him in voting for his immortality. Hestia had informed him of as much. While he didn't appreciate thinking that way, logic told him that helping her daughter might be a way to gain her favor. Conversely, if she died under his care... No. That was not going to happen.

His journey, however, seemed to be becoming more dangerous. He did his best to keep watch at night, making sure monsters didn't disturb her sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was explain that she was a demigod... but the attacks were becoming more and more common the closer they got to Vesuvius. And he was getting less and less sleep. At the moment, the last time he had slept was two days ago. The circles under his eyes were becoming more pronounced.

Speaking of, he had received more details about the quest, and they only made the protective instincts he had that were growing towards Alexandria spurt. He would more than likely leave her in Pompeii while he braved the forge. As it was, it was clear that the automatons hadn't malfunctioned due to the heat... No, someone had sabotaged them, and now they were using them to produce weapons for unknown entities.

Perseus sighed to himself. Of course, nothing could ever be so simple as to just shut the factory down. No, now he would have to find the perpetrator and bring them to Hestia. He stopped, making Alex bump into him, breaking them both out of their thoughts. He twirled around and caught her, keeping her from crashing to that ground.

"Sorry, Alex!" He laughed, the noise somewhat foreign to him, which was a sad thought. "Thought I saw something in the soil..." He told her apologetically.

Her eyes widened. "Well, did you?" She questioned.

"Yep... grass." They both laughed, and she thumped him good-naturedly on the shoulder.

"You prat!" She called him, still smiling. He smiled at her too, but his held a bit more sadness. He couldn't afford to let her know about the true details of his quest... not with such a high chance of failure.

* * *

That night, Perseus stood watch over their makeshift camp. Alex was sleeping under a little covering made up of leather purchased from a city a while back. He hated to admit it, but the little blonde teen was already worming her way into his heart, although it had only been two weeks. He didn't know if it was the way she asked for a piggy-back ride when her legs got tired, or maybe her aspirations for being an architect when she grew up... but he felt himself growing very attached to her.

A snarl. For the third night in a row, monsters had attacked. However, these monsters were not the mythical kind. Rather, they were simple wolves, attracted to the heat of their covered fire that Apollyon had started, which utilized leaves to filter out the smoke and most of the light. He cleanly dispatched them, quickly skinning them and then preserving the meat with salt he had purchased from a trader who had come from the land of Africa, named after the Roman general Scipio Africanus, who had defeated the mastermind, Hannibal, in the second Carthaginian War.

Perseus thought about that. He wanted to travel to Africa, one day. If such a great thing like salt was there, no doubt all of its people were rich and sophisticated. He smiled at that thought. Perhaps humanity would be kind to that one part of Earth. Perhaps.

For the first time in nearly three days, the son of an unknown god drifted to sleep around a covered fire, someone who meant a great deal to him snuggled up under leather beside him.

* * *

**I am so very sorry about this being late! My stupid head fell asleep at 6:30, and I woke up at 11:40 PM just thinking... Roar of Destiny! I have made this chapter a bit longer than normal to make up for the time difference, sorry again!**


	9. Chapter 9

**The first of two updates! Sorry that I missed last week, my friends, but I will do my best to finish the next chapter in the next few hours. It will probably be after 12 AM, unfortunately, but I have many things going on due to corona right now, so things have gotten slightly stressful.**

**Stay safe, self-isolate, but more importantly... enjoy the story. :)**

* * *

"Please, can't I come with you, Perseus?" A blonde-haired girl asked her travelling companion. It hadn't been the first time she had asked over the past hour, and it most definitely wouldn't be the last.

"No," Came the curt response. Perseus was nearing Hephaestus' forge at Vesuvius, and all he wanted to do was keep Alex safe. The daughter of Athena, however, had other plans.

"Come on! What if you could use backup! What if you get injured and need help? You'd definitely regret not taking me along then!" She informed him, shaking her head erratically, and moving her hands in a punching motion.

Perseus looked at her. "I'll take my chances." Alexandria pouted. She chucked a small nut at his head, which he caught out of reflex, not flinching. He flicked it back at her, bonking her on the nose, making her fall down.

"Meanie!" She yelled. The black-haired teen merely chuckled and stuck his tongue out at her. His time with her over the past three weeks had been some of the most fun days of his life that he could remember. He couldn't allow her to join him at Vesuvius. Her mother would no doubt murder him if she was hurt under his care, but more importantly... Perseus didn't want to see her harmed.

"So, why can't I come?" She questioned, although she no doubt already knew the answer.

Perseus glared at her lightheartedly. "It's too dangerous for you." Alex still didn't know that she was a demigod. The spike in their combined auras would be too high for Perseus to be able to sleep at all, and then they would eventually get overwhelmed.

"Why, because I'm a girl?"

"No, because you're..." Perseus stopped his sentence short, choosing his next words carefully. "Unskilled with weapons."

"I'm good at fighting!" Alex replied forcefully. The demigod simply raised his eyebrows.

"Punch me." The odd sentence send Alex on her toes.

"W-what?" She looked at him like he had gone bonkers. Perhaps the madness god, Dionysus, from her father's stories had claimed him.

"Punch me," he repeated. "If you can hit me in under a minute, I'll let you come." She looked at him, waiting for the catch.

"Anywhere on your body?"

Perseus nodded. "Anywhere." The blonde's eyes narrowed, and she leapt at him clumsily. He sidestepped her and grabbed on to the back of her tunic to keep her from falling as she lost her balance. She whipped her arms around in an attempt to hit him, but he was already gone. Alex whirled around, seeing him now ten feet away. She started thinking.

'_There are three trees behind him, and a bag to his left. If I can get him to the trees, there's only one place he can go!' _She smiled triumphantly, while Perseus looked amused. She approached him, slower this time. She held an arm out warily. Then, when she got close enough, she leapt. Perseus backed up, his body only inches away from the trees. '_Yes!' _She leapt again, but fell to the ground and punched to her right. However, she met nothing but air. Perseus was still at the trees; however, now he was in the air, upside-down.

_'He... climbed the branches instead of dodging? When? I didn't even see it!' _Perseus looked at her.

"Sixty seconds are up. You're too focused on your singular plan of attack that you fail to see the other possibilities," He taught her, making her purse her lips. He hopped down, seamlessly landing on his feet. He walked towards her, smiling, only to be met with a weak punch to the chest. _'Is... is she crying..?' _Indeed, something he had said had made the girl start to slightly cry. She sniffled a bit, then the tears stopped as quickly as they started.

"I... just want to help you like you helped me, Perseus!" The teen frowned.

"You will be helping me. You'll be watching over my stuff, and keeping yourself out of trouble! That way, I don't have to worry about anything else when I go in there."

Alex's face brightened. "Really...? I never thought about it like that..." She admitted.

Perseus gave a smile, and internally sighed in relief. "Really." He would do anything to keep the girl safe. Anything.

* * *

The heat only increased as they got closer to Vesuvius. Eventually, Perseus refused to let Alex go any further. He set up a camp, and slaughtered a deer, preparing it for the girl. He didn't expect to be gone longer than a day or two, but who knew? He left in the night, sacrificing another small animal to Hestia in hopes for her to protect to girl. He didn't know what he would do if she was attacked while he left her behind.

Perseus started the trek to Vesuvius. In the distance, he could see Pompeii - a city a few dozen miles south of the volcano. He sighed at mortal foolishness. Were they truly so idiotic to believe that the volcano would never harm them? The heat started to become unbearable for anyone who wasn't a demigod. He could only imagine how hot it would be in the forge. He sent another prayer to Hestia to protect him. A warm feeling passed over him, telling Perseus that his Lady was listening.

Soon, he was at the 'entrance' to the volcano. A steep, winding path up the sheer slope. He grunted as he pulled himself over a large boulder, slightly wishing that he had brought less supplies. He looked up towards the peak, a foreboding steel door that looked like it could fit Zeus' ego inside and still have enough space to not get smote for inconveniencing the King of the Gods.

He grit his teeth and pulled out Anaklusmos, then dug it into the cliff face, the sword cutting through the stone like a steak knife on warm butter. With his left hand, he grabbed a rock, and started his climb. Walking around would probably expend more energy, and this was quicker. He grit his teeth. Even if he was resistant to the heat, he was still grabbing rocks that were hundreds of degrees, temperature-wise. He ignored the pain, and kept climbing. After all, pain was only an minor inconvenience in the obstacle of getting to his goal... the restoration of Greece.

The climb was harsh, but he had seen harsher things in the past two years. Widening his eyes, he dug his sword in the stone harsher than usual, and hung by one hand in order to reach into his bag. A dagger! He had purchased a set of two twin daggers while they were on their way to Vesuvius - the smaller blades would be perfect for climbing! He switched hands and dug the first dagger in, and turned Riptide back into a hairpin. The red tip still haunted him. He looked at it morosely, then put it back in his hair.

It wouldn't do good to reflect on his mistakes. No. Not when he had a mountain to climb, a saboteur to fight, and a god to appease. No, it wouldn't do any good at all.

* * *

**Final word count is just over 1200 words. Expect the next chapter within a few hours, like I said. It will be more action filled than this one! Should I focus more on dialogue, or action? I'm leaning towards action, but I actually haven't even decided on an enemy yet.**

**As always, favorite, follow, and review!**

**Much love, stay safe,  
PJO Fan Power**


	10. Chapter 10

**We're lagging behind, but we'll get there... eventually...**

* * *

Perseus woke up in a sitting position, a terrible headache, and a very sore neck. He tried to sit up, but heard the clinking of metal, and a resisting force. Chains. He growled lowly. '_Wonderful.'_

He looked around the room that he currently occupied. Nothing. Dark rocks created the walls, and the only light in the room was a small pool of flowing lava. Or, was it magma, since they were still inside the volcano? Who knew? The long shadows played tricks with the demigod's eyes, but he finally spotted a pair of closed doors at one end of the room. The chair he was in was a crudely shaped piece of rock. and was not at all comfortable. The jagged edges poked into his skin, but not enough to draw blood.

That didn't mean they weren't annoying, though.

He looked for anything else, but the room seemed pretty empty other than that. He had chains around his legs, too, at least from what he could hear. He snorted. They were chained to each other. What, did they run out of metal or something? He stood up slowly, careful to not aggravate his neck. It would be of no use to fall. He slowly made his way over to the lava, or magma, or whatever it was.

The heat was slowly increasing in the enclosed room. He could definitely feel it with the metal, and knew that if he stayed here much longer it would start to burn him. What was this place, a torture chamber or something? He could see how it would work. Put the metal on their skin, let it heat up a bit, walk in, get your answers... or they would roast. He hummed in appreciation. Effective.

He was now next to the pool of molten rocks and minerals. He tapped it lightly with his toe. It burned, but more like a warm shower than something that was supposedly hotter than fire. He submerged his foot. It still felt... nice, almost. He supposed his godly parentage helped with this. Were all demigods this resistant? He wished he knew who his father was, something he had been thinking about heavily for the past few months. Hades, it was _all _he was thinking about after the death of Augustus...

The death of Augustus... was Riptide still with him? He concentrated, focusing on the bond he held with the pin. Yes. He felt the weight in his hair, now. He hoped he still had hair left after what he was about to do. Perseus "Apollyon" Jackson, in what was probably not his greatest moment, jumped into a pile of molten rock. It was warmer near the bottom, but that was where he had to be. He sunk like a stone, the weight of his rocky chair no doubt helping.

And then... yes. The chains started to melt. It was only taking a few minutes. Perseus didn't know if it was safe to breath, or open his eyes, so he kept everything closed and didn't breathe. Then... enough weakness. He flexed and pulled, and the chains quickly snapped. He smiled, but the action made his face hurt a bit more than everything already did. He bent down and slipped his feet out of their chains, careful to not lose his hold on the metal. He would need some weapons if he wanted to escape, and he didn't quite feel like staining Anaklusmos a deeper shade of red at the moment. Red-hot chains definitely weren't the worst of weapons.

He floated up to the top of the magma. He tossed the chains over the side as soon as his head poked out, and they sent sparkling bits of magma around the room. The air sizzled against his skin as he got out of his lava bath. He smirked. '_Bet Agrippa never had baths _that _hot.' _He smirked to himself. Dripping molten rock, more of the room was now lit up, and he saw his clothes laying discarded in a corner of the room, by the door.

He picked up his pants, relieved to see that they didn't burst into fire on contact with his skin, but his shirt was so torn and tattered that it wasn't worth putting on. He saw the bits of blood all over the cloth, and smirked. Even if they had ambushed him, he had given them a Hades of a fight. His bag wasn't here, though... Unsurprising. No way they'd let him just have his stuff like that.

He stalked over to the doors, and pulled on them gently. Locked. He stepped back and investigated them. Stone, too, although not the same type as the rest of the chamber. He held his ear to it, and tapped on it. It seemed pretty dense, dense enough that he probably wouldn't be able to punch though it. Oh well... the only thing left to do, then, was wait.

It only took a few minutes. He was hiding the outside the edge of the doors. He didn't want to get smacked if they were tossed open. Going unconscious once was plenty enough for him, thank you very much. He started hearing voices outside the room. "-es, my Lord. It should be sufficiently warm enough in there to begin information extraction." The sentence finished as the two got to the doors. Hestia's champion heard multiple locks click. Had they been carved directly into the stone, or was it made of multiple materials?

"Good." The second being's voice held... power. Or confidence, at least. Not like the first man's. The doors weren't flung open, as Perseus had expected, but rather, pushed open gently. "Wakey, wakey, little Greeky... He's not here." He whipped around to face his collaborator, and found him, eyes wide, with a chain wrapped around his throat. Behind him, the "Greeky" he had come to torture...

"Woke up a little while ago, thank you. I was definitely sleepy, needed a good nap." The other being looked at him, trying to discern if Perseus was joking or not, and then leaned back and laughed.

"Good, good! It's never fun if they break too early." Perseus' eyes narrowed.

"You're going to tell me where my bag is, or I'm going to crush your friends throat." The aforementioned "friend" was shaking in his sandals. The other man smirked.

"No need to waste your strength, I'll do it for you." The trapped man managed to wheeze out a quick, weak, "No..." before the man flicked his wrist and the prisoner's head blew off, and his lifeless corpse dropped to the floor. Perseus' eyes widened now, and he spat out a bit of blood as the resistance on his chains disappeared.

"What the Hades...?" The man, retracting his arm, laughed.

"Guess you don't know everything, after all. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Titan of the East, and the Lord of Heavenly Light."

Perseus clenched his jaw, but his legs felt slightly weak. Out of everything he had expected, it wasn't this... '_Well... shit.'_


	11. Chapter 11

Perseus had never really been known to be good with respect. "That's a lot of titles... are you compensating for something?" The Titan frowned.

"Huh...? _I am the Titan of the East, and the-"_

"Lord of Heavenly Light, yeah yeah yeah, I heard you the first time," Perseus cut the supernatural being off. He was scared, still, but the calmness and patience he had acquired over the past two years were starting to serve him well. Hyperion narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you not kneel, not beg? I should blow your head off like his!" He gestured towards the headless lab aid.

"I mean..." Perseus shrugged, the chains clinking. "I've always kinda liked having my head attached to my body." The Lord of the East growled and whipped his arm out faster than the demigod could react. He stumbled. It felt like someone had punched him in the side of the head... not fun. But he was still in one piece.

"What in Tartarus...?" The Titan murmured.

"I told you..." Perseus popped his neck and stood up, grasping Riptide in his right and willing it to become a sword. "I rather like having my head attached to my body." He jumped at the stunned Titan, who clumsily jumped out of the way. His heavy armor clinked, but he wasn't able to dodge Riptide entirely. A harsh sound filled the antechamber as Riptide scratched off the Titan's shinguard.

"Insolence!" Hyperion bellowed. His eyes flashed with power, and he held out his hand towards Perseus. Something about it reminded the demigod of Hestia flash travelling, so he quickly shut his eyes. Heat burned his eyelids, proving this to be the correct choice. Perseus stabbed blindly with his sword, meeting resistance and garnering a yelp. Almost immediately, the heat faded, and Perseus opened his eyes to see golden ichor dripping on the floor from the Titan's stomach.

The man gut-punched Perseus faster than he should've been able to move in his state. Perseus crashed into the wall, and his vision blurred. "This wound... means nothing!" With those words, Hyperion pulled the blade out of his stomach and tossed it aside, the wound instantly healing.

Hyperion slowly walked towards Perseus, who was still dazed. _'Lady Hestia... I... require assistance.' _Asking for help had never come easy to him. But as soon as he thought it, warmth flowed over his body.

Hyperion gazed at him. "So... you have the assistance of a god. Unluckily for you... Titans are stronger than gods." He smirked.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Perseus replied, strength flowing through him and reinvigorating him. He felt like he had slept for hours and hours on end, while simultaneously exercising every single muscle in his body... In other words, awesome.

"Oh, is that so?" Hyperion smiled, a menacing look, and his white teeth were almost blinding. "Prove me wrong then, _mortal_."

Perseus dashed forward. In hindsight, the jab was so obviously a trap that he felt stupid for falling for it. Hyperion flashed to the other side of the room, leaving Perseus to stumble forward as his blade met no resistance. The Titan was there instantly, and a blow sent him to the ground. The sudden strike took the air out of his lungs, and no doubt cracked multiple ribs.

His instincts suddenly screamed at him to move, and he rolled to the right, dodging the blow of a concentrated beam of light. He leapt back to his feet, and pain flashed throughout his body. He would need weeks to recover after this, assuming he made it out alive.

"You are a skilled fighter," Hyperion admitted as he parried a blow from the demigod. "The gods do not deserve your talents. You could join us," He invited. Perseus grit his teeth as he blocked a sword seemingly made out of pure light and fire.

"What do you mean, join you? Olympus combined is easily stronger than you. They beat you once. They can do it again." This sentence only made the Titan laugh.

"Yes, they did defeat us. But, unlike them, we have learned from our mistakes. We have joined forces with a much more powerful entity. However, he will take millennia to awaken. Which is why we are laying the groundwork now. Besides, what have the gods ever done for you? Do you even know the things that your parent has done?" Perseus was silent. He didn't know _who_ his godly parent was, much less what they had done. The Lord of the East caught on quickly.

"See? You've never even met them... how could you possibly believe that they are good? Join us, Apollyon. Be on the right side of history." The Destroyer looked up at the face of the titan he was fighting. Then... he realized... Hyperion was afraid. Afraid of what? Could it be...? He decided to play his cards correctly.

"Prove it, then. Who is my father?" The Titan smiled, and his attacks became slower as he started to believe he had won the demigod over.

"Well, that's quite simple... You're, in fact, almost the splitting image of the man," He mused. "Your father is Poseidon, the Earthshaker, Lord of the Seas-" He was cut off by two things. First off was the brilliant aura that exploded into existence as Perseus became aware of his heritage. The second, probably a larger factor, was Anaklusmos going straight through his heart as he dropped his guard. "What...?" He slumped to his knees, shocked. Even if it wouldn't kill him, the blade still heavily hindered him. Golden ichor left his mouth in a cough.

"You made one large mistake..." Perseus grinned, his mind clearer than it had ever been. "You forgot about Lady Hestia." Indeed, the Goddess' blessing had multiplied tenfold as soon as Perseus' father had been revealed. The already incredible boosts to his energy and properties became insane, and Hestia's energy could literally be seen flowing through him.

He pulled the sword out of the Titan's body with a 'Plop!' Hyperion scowled. "You may have beaten me this time, demigod, but make no mistake... It was only due to the emergence of your powers. You will not be underestimated again." He started to glow, and Perseus dashed forward, but was too slow to stop the immortal from flashing away, and only his dense aura protected him from being disintegrated by the flash.

All of the sudden, the adrenaline flow was cut off, and he fell to a knee, panting. It seemed that Hyperion had been correct. The only reason he had won was because the strength of the blessing being multiplied by his newfound powers. But, his body couldn't sustain it, so Hestia had cut the power flow off. He cracked his neck and winced. His ribs still hurt, but didn't seem to be broken anymore, which was lucky.

Suddenly, he remembered his original mission - to reclaim the forge! He grasped Riptide with a firm hand, took a deep breath, and resolved to ignore the pain. After all, he had a job to do.

* * *

**And Hyperion has been defeated! Just a note - Perseus is not 'stronger' than Hyperion. He got him with a lucky, well-placed strike when Hyperion let his guard down, and he was also granted a large burst of power when his heritage was revealed. If it weren't for Hyperion trying to convert him, or him not letting him know about his father, Hyperion would have won. That is the end to this particular god's favor, really.**

**This makes Hestia, Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, and Hephaestus in his favor, with Artemis still on the fence, which is 5.5 out of the 7 gods needed for his vote. I'm not sure who the next god will be, but I'll have to figure it out soon, as the next chapter will be coming out tomorrow! This is because I missed last week. Quarantine had made everything pretty hectic, but to be fair, I am reaaaaally lazy lol**

**Hope you liked it, and please... leave a review! Let me know how I'm doing!**

**Until next chapter,  
PJO Fan Power.**


	12. Chapter 12

Clearing out the rest of the forge was very quick. There were only a few mortals, and they all surrendered when they realized Hyperion had abandoned them. When questioned, though, they refused to cooperate with anything further than being harmless. There was very little there, however, and Perseus quickly found a 'factory reset' switch. All of the sudden, the automatons that had been absent thusfar sprang to life. Warmth spread over his body, and he felt his ribs heal completely.

Hestia popped into his thoughts. _'Good job, my hero. Hephaestus is by my side, he has told me that he could feel his factory coming back to life already.' _Perseus smiled, letting his pride show through the link.

'_Has he agreed to vote with us?_' He questioned his patron. Her immediate happiness was evident.

'_Of course. The God of the Forges is very honorable, indeed._' Perseus filed that information away.

'_Alright, that is good to know. Also, another thing...'_

'_Yes, I felt it from here... I take it you have found out about your father?' _The change in topic surprised the warrior.

'_That's not what I was thinking about; however, that is true. I have found out that Poseidon is my father.' _He could feel the confusion, and had to remind himself that it wasn't his own. It seemed like he was growing closer and closer to his Patron.

_'This seems like something better suited for talking about face-to-face. Should Lord Hephaestus be present, as well?' _The Goddess of the Hearth asked him, which he quickly agreed to.

'_Yes, there is plenty that needs to be said.'_

* * *

"Thank you for retaking my forge for me, boy," A man with a smoking beard said as he formed a triangle with the two other members of the conversation, Lady Hestia and Perseus Jackson.

"Of course, Lord Hephaestus. However, it was how you lost it which is of great importance." The god frowned at the perceived slight, but Hestia was quick to clarify.

"He means the reasoning, that had nothing to do with you, Heph," She said, using a nickname for the all-powerful god. He nodded, and let the boy continue.

"I was attacked by the Titan Hyperion, Lord of the East." This brought two intakes of breath.

"Are you sure?" Hestia asked softly. Perseus nodded.

"I barely won. I only defeated him because he let his guard down, and tried to convert me to his side," He admitted, slightly ashamed at his apparent weakness.

"His side?" Hephaestus grilled the boy. "What do you mean by that?" Perseus put a hand to his chin to think.

"I can't really remember, but he was talking about the Titans, and how they had joined forces with somebody stronger than themselves or something."

Hestia frowned. "Did he give a name or anything? Any hints, or clues?" Perseus shook at his head. "Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah..." He trailed off. "He said it would take thousands of years for the person to awaken. But... he seemed almost... _scared_ of me." The demigod closed his eyes, trying to picture the look in the Titan's eyes. "It was like he was afraid of what I could do."

Hephaestus smiled. "Yes, I'd imagine so." Perseus looked at him sharply, while Hestia nodded.

"Perseus... If I didn't know better, looking at your aura, I would've thought you were a minor god due to your sheer strength. Untrained, and only just now finding out about your father, and so strong already... Zeus will no doubt feel threatened by your power, which is why we have to make sure that you win that vote. Otherwise, you're as good as dead."

"Hold on... who is his father, exactly, Aunt Hestia?" _'Wacky relationships...' _Perseus thought to himself, and he could see Hestia crack a small smile no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"Perseus, here, is the child of my brother, Poseidon."

Hephaestus swore softly. "Zeus will not react well to this. I will do my best to encourage Aphrodite to vote in our favor, but she has always appreciated drama... It is impossible to tell what she may do on a whim..." The god frowned. Perseus felt bad for him, but nodded. It couldn't be easy having the Goddess of Love as your wife, after all.

"That would be incredibly generous of you, My Lord." Hephaestus nodded and within a blink had teleported away. Perseus turned to Hestia, embracing her in a soft hug as she held her arms out.

"I am so very proud of you, my hero," She told him, smiling as she pulled away. "You are very close to the end of your first set of trials." He smiled and nodded. He would need one more god or goddess on his side, and to confirm Artemis' support, or have Aphrodite be swayed by Hephaestus, and then he would be able to become a god... if Zeus didn't smite him on the spot.

"Did you know I was going to be this powerful?" Perseus asked his patron.

Hestia didn't try to hide the truth. "I knew you were special, but I was not aware you would be this powerful. You are easily one of the strongest demigods I have ever seen, and that says quite a bit. However, no matter what, Zeus will force you to swear an oath to protect Olympus. You will need to know what to say in order to not become a mindless slave to the will of the gods. Because, make no mistake, they still see you as a pawn in this game of chess." She put her mouth next to his ear. "Prove them wrong."

Perseus nodded. "I will do what I must, my Lady." Hestia smiled.

"I know you will, Perseus." She winked conspiratorially. "Now... I've been making sure a certain Daughter of Athena is safe while you've been gone. Why don't you go make her day?"


	13. Chapter 13

As it was said, all roads lead to Rome. So, that was where Perseus and Alexandria found themselves approaching the morning of Alexandria's fifteenth birthday. Perseus' current, and hopefully final patron-hopeful was Hermes, the God of Messengers and Trade. It made sense that he lived in the biggest city in the world, of course, as most of the trade and merchants would be passing through there. It would be the largest source of his strength.

At dawn, they entered the city. It still stunk of general uncleanliness, but it seemed Tiberius' policies had actually started making a difference. There seemed to be less people on the streets. Of course, the guards could've just been executing the ones they saw and used them to feed the others, for all Perseus knew. He tried to put that thought to rest, though. It would be of no use to start making his revenge against Rome personal, for that was how things started to fall apart.

Perseus' first goal was to buy something sweet for his travelling companion. It was her birthday, after all, and those only happen once a year! He made sure to forget the fact that he had no recollection of anyone other than himself celebrating his birthday... That wasn't important, after all. A warmth tugged at his body, but he locked it away.

"Hey, Alex... I've got a surprise for you," He whispered into the girl's ear. Her head darted towards him, and she quickly pulled him into a side-alley with all the maturity of a toddler.

"What is it? What is it?" She demanded to know, hopping up and down. It was slightly amusing, considering he was well over 40 centimeters taller than her. He made sure to pull the confectionery as slowly as possible - a small pastry with a strawberry filling, the fruit imported straight from some part of Greece.

The girl's eyes widened, and her mouth started to water. She had never eaten such a thing. Back at home... Her former home, she reminded herself, Baker John had only made various types of bread, including a variant called a baguette, which came from Gaul. But, somehow, she knew that this pastry would taste so much better, if only because Perseus had given it to her.

"Happy birthday, Alex," He said, smiling as he gave it to her. He waited for her to say something.

"It's smushed at the corner," She said, faux-morosely. She looked up at him, a few tears trailing from her eyes. "Thank you so much, Percy!" She used the nickname she had given him, stating that 'Perseus' was too many syllables despite 'Percy' being only one less. She looked back down at the pastry, quickly tearing off a small piece and shoving it in her mouth, savoring the taste as much as possible before swallowing.

He smiled back at her. "So... are you going to share?"

She snorted, another piece already in her mouth. "Not a chance."

* * *

They continued on their way, Alex eating small parts of her treat as they went. Soon, their goal came into sight. A large, two-story house, gated off to the general public. It was almost... cut off from reality, in a way. As they approached the front gate, it opened of its own accord once they got to it. Again, nobody else seemed to have noticed it opening, or them going through it.

As they walked down the path leading up to the house, it seemed like it was hidden by a heavy mist. It didn't make sense. Rome hadn't seen such a heavy rain recently, and none of the rest of the city saw fog. The Son of Poseidon's head started to dart around, looking for anyone watching them. He didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean there was no one there.

They finally reached the compound, after a walk that felt far, far longer than it looked. The house seemed to be decorated more richly than the Emperor's palace, which couldn't have been true. Where would any one family have gotten that much money from? Perseus started to notice more inconsistencies. The house was three stories, not two. The grass was a nice green, despite there having been, as said, little rain recently. It was certainly a far different shade from the rest of the city grounds.

Everything about the building seemed... off. Why was he here, again? He was here to... He was here to... Was this a wrong turn? Maybe this was the wrong place... He was trying to go to... The Colosseum? Yes, yes... Why was he going to the Colosseum...? He struggled to remember. Then... '_Of course, I love the gladiator fights. Seeing those people fight each other, it's... it's...' _

"Percy?" A voice asked, sounding concerned. The demigod struggled to find the source of it. He found himself now looking away from the house. When had he turned around? "Percy?" The voice asked again. "Is everything okay?" His eyes finally looked onto her.

"Alexandria," he spoke, his eyes widened, and he was all the sudden gasping for air, acutely aware that he had forgotten to breathe for the past two minutes or so. "I just had..."

"The weirdest feeling?" She finished for him. He nodded. "I felt it too. Something is wrong. Why was I thinking that I wanted to go to the Colosseum?"

He shrugged, unable to find an answer without revealing the entire world of the gods to her. "I'm... starting to think the person who lives here would rather be left alone."

"Let me guess..." She muttered, "we can't leave him alone?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right..." Perseus replied, doing his best to dispel all of the thoughts that weren't his own from his mind. Why did Hermes want to keep others out so bad? Or was it just him? There were many possibilities, but it would do no good to dwell on them.

"Of course it does."


	14. Chapter 14

After a walk that felt as long as the one they had taken through the city to get there, Perseus and Alexandria found themselves at the front door. "It looks... normal?" Alex noted, sounding almost disappointed. Indeed, the door seemed to be made of plain wood. Perseus, however, suspected it was anything but. He raised his palm up to the door, and as soon as he made contact, a boom resounded throughout the air.

Perseus winced as the loud noise rang through his ears, but his hand felt like it was almost stuck to the wood; he couldn't let go. The daughter of Athena beside him, however, dropped to the ground with her hands over her ears, tucked in fetal position. Perseus wished he could do something to help her. As suddenly as it came, the noise was gone, not even a vibration was left; it simply cut off.

The son of Poseidon fell away as his hand came unstuck from the door, which swung open on its own, admitting them. The black-haired teen helping his younger companion to her feet, her hands luckily lacking any drops of blood that would otherwise signal hearing loss. "My ears are ringing..." She whimpered. Perseus hugged her close to his chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

"Your ears okay?" He asked after a moment, although they obviously weren't. The girl grit her teeth and nodded, blinking away tears from the pain. "Alright, I think we've been invited in... Are you ready?"

Alex nodded again. "But... after this, you owe me an explanation." Perseus sighed and nodded. _'She deserves one.' _He told himself. Guiding Alex by the hand, they entered the house - which looked more like a mansion at this point.

* * *

They found the god laying down on a chair in front of what seemed like an entire public bath all to himself. "Lord Hermes," Perseus started, gaining no reaction. "Lord Hermes?" He waited a moment... a few more...

"Is... he asleep?" Alex asked. The man seemed to glow in the brilliant sun overhead. Perseus nodded, and let loose a bit of his aura that he had begun training himself to contain. The god snapped awake.

"Ei... Eidothea, is that you?" Hermes spoke groggily. He popped his neck and stared at Perseus and Alexandria. "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm-" All of the sudden, Perseus was cut off by a hand on his back. He turned his head, his hand halfway to Riptide already. However, he paused seeing a splitting image of the god he had just been talking to. "Wha-"

"I'm just kidding!" Hermes boomed with laughter. He no longer looked tired, and when Perseus turned back to the version of the god he had just been talking to, it gave a wave and shimmered away into thin air. "Gods don't sleep, I just wanted to see what you would do if you saw me defenseless. And, I must say, you did not do too poorly, Apollyon." The aforementioned demigod's eyebrows rose, then fell back down, inwardly berating himself. _'Of course he wouldn't leave himself so vulnerable! A test... I should've realized...'_

"I also know what you're here for," The god continued. "and I will give you what you want, in return for one, simple thing..." He trailed off, making sure that all the attention was on him. He pointed at Alexandria. "Her."

Perseus was dumbfounded for a second. "What?"

"You heard me. Give the girl to me, and you get to be a god, and help bring back the glory of Greece. Simple, no?" Alexandria's eyes widened as she looked between the two beings in front of her. Just how much had Perseus been keeping from her? A god? The glory of Greece? She wanted to feel hurt - but, no. She shoved that down. She would give him the chance to explain himself, first. Assuming that the god... Hermes, in front of them didn't decide the smite him.

"No." Perseus' answer was simple, and instantaneous.

"No?" The god looked down at the mortal in front of him. "I could smite you, take her, or smite her and force you too watch, or even worse, just call Demeter right now and tell her to not give you her blessing, and your quest is over. Everything you dreamt of, everything you worked for... gone. You're willing to trade everything just for that girl?"

"I am. I don't make choices for her, I don't send her off to be bedded and forgotten, and most importantly..." Perseus stared the god in the eyes. "I don't trade away my friends." The two had a brief staredown before the patron of trade smiled.

"Alright, then I guess I'll give you a test. What have I stolen from you since you walked into this palace?" Instantly, the boy ran through dozens of different possibilities. _'Riptide? No... My bag? No... What could he have possibly-' _Slowly, the answer became clear to the demigod, who smiled.

"Nothing. You haven't stolen anything from me." The god shook his head, seemingly disappointed.

"Well, unfortunately-"

"But you did steal the treat I bought for Alexandria's birthday," He started flipping the hairpin over in his hand. "and I really don't appreciate that you got a bite and I didn't." Hermes looked at him, surprised.

"So you did notice. How did you figure it out?" Perseus smirked.

"I could smell it on your breath."

The god smiled. "Well done, Perseus. You've passed my tests. You have my vote. But..." He looked past the boy. "It seems like you have another pressing matter." Turning around, Perseus did notice that Alexandria seemed to have become very agitated at the loss of her snack, which she hadn't even noticed previously, and she needed a _very _good explanation for what she had just witnessed.

"I'll see you on Olympus, Perseus." The son of Poseidon turned back to the god. "Don't disappoint me."

* * *

It was only several miles on the way to Olympus that Perseus was finally able to contact Hestia again, feeling his connection to her return for the first time since entering the gate to Hermes' mansion. _'Lady Hestia, why do gods need to breathe?'_

_'They don't, why?' _Was her immediate thought back. Perseus' eyes widened as he thought about the implications of this statement.

_'No reason, thank you...'_


	15. Chapter 15

"So... when were you going to tell me?"

Perseus sighed. It would be better to be honest with her entirely. "I was never planning on telling you unless it would help you in the long run."

Alex growled. "And who are you to decide that for me? I have wanted for my whole life to meet my mother, to just know a single thing about her! And when you finally come along, I follow you singing and dancing, letting you play me like a puppet!"

"I was not playing you like a puppet!" He denied vehemently. "Knowing about your heritage would increase the scent you give off to monsters, which would've gotten us both killed."

"It wasn't like there were any monsters before! And if a couple showed up-" The demigoddess heard the black-haired teen murmur something, and grew even more enraged. "What was that?!"

Perseus cracked his neck. "I _said_, there weren't any monsters before because I kept guard and killed them all while you slept! If your scent was increased like it is now, there would be no rest... ever. Eventually, I would falter. And then, I would die, and you would, too." Alexandria was quiet for a second. When she spoke again, it was softer.

"You could've still trained me... We could've taken turns on watch so you wouldn't always be so exhausted." She reasoned. She wasn't meeting his eyes, and that was fine with him. He didn't quite feel like looking at her at the moment.

"With what weapons? The wagon of monster-murdering weapons I've been carrying?" The sarcasm was not lost on the younger girl, who did her best to ignore it.

"Those daggers of yours. It's not like I haven't seen them." Inwardly, Perseus cursed. He had forgotten about those up until the cliff, and since the time after it. He stared up at the heavens. _'Zeus, would you mind smiting me now instead of in a few days?' _He thought to himself, faintly hearing Hestia snort in the distance. He knew better than to ask her for help, however. No, this was his fault, and his problem.

He slowed down and set down his pack. "What are you doing?" Alex asked, a bit of her annoyance fading away, although she still jerked her head away and huffed when Perseus looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What, I thought you wanted a dagger?" He tossed one to her, which she fumbled with before dropping, cutting a small slice on her finger.

She jerked away, a little bit of blood spurting from the cut before it died down. "Asshole!" She shrieked, sucking on her wounded digit. Perseus snorted.

"Call the _empousa _assholes as they claw you to death. That'll make them feel bad. Pick the knife up," He ordered.

The blonde-haired teen let go of her thumb and slowly picked up the dagger. She felt it a bit, weighed the object... it wasn't too unlike a sewing needle, she reasoned. She jabbed with it, and the rear end's weight almost took it out of her hand. Across the dirt from her, Perseus held the knife's splitting image, only with a lot more mastery. He held it in a motion pointing at her, which she mirrored.

"Poke," he said seriously, motioning forward with the knife. Alex followed. "Slash," he showed next, still serious. Alex followed suit. Then, to her surprise, Perseus tossed his dagger back in the bag. "Congratulations, you now know how to use a dagger." Alex couldn't help herself, she let out a small grin. Even if he was insufferable, he still seemed to want the best for her. Besides, where else would she go?

She moved to hand the dagger to him, but he waved his hand. "No," he smiled. "No. It's yours, keep it. You're right, you are able to defend yourself. And, although I hope you never need to use it, I hope you feel at least a bit of happiness carrying a bit of me around with you." She smiled back, somewhat forgiving him.

"Thank you, Percy..." She murmured. She looked him in the eyes, now. "Although you have to promise me to stop keeping large secrets from me in the future."

"I promise," He vowed, looking her back in the eyes.

"Good... now what was all this about becoming a god?" She raised an eyebrow, not so subtly reminding him of the promise he just made.

"Oh, that's quite simple. You see, like I told you, I was born in the Greek city of Delos. I am one of the last Greek demigods that I know of. In fact, I believe that the only reason that you are a child of Athena and not Minerva is because of how much Minerva hates the Romans. They degraded her and desecrated her temples."

Alex nodded quickly, soaking the knowledge in like a sponge. "Okay, but you still haven't explained the god part."

"Geez, geez, I was getting to that," he said, a faux annoyed tone coming into his voice, although he winked to let her know he was joking. "The Romans are a corrupt system, and will no doubt fall eventually. I wish to bring back the Greek Empire, or at least restore the pantheon to its former glory." He caught his breath. The idea no longer resounded within him like it had before... before he had met her.

He sighed. He had promised honesty, had he not. "Even more than that, though... I just want to be able to protect the ones I love." He looked up, brushing away the black strands of hair in front of his eyes, looking into her gray orbs.

She hugged him quickly, clutching him close as if she knew it wasn't going to last. "Oh, Percy... I wish you could see just how strong you are already."

* * *

Little could they know that they were being watched. Not by monsters, no, but by a certain goddess. Athena, the goddess of Wisdom, looked down on the duo, and growled. Her daughter, with a sea-spawn? No. It simply could not be allowed to happen. She wouldn't stand by and watch as her daughter wasted her time away on the demigod who would no doubt use her to his own end and then discard her.

She wouldn't allow it.


	16. Chapter 16

By the time the Alex and Percy reached the base of Mt. Olympus, the man's eighteenth birthday had passed. The gap between them fluctuated from day to day - Alex was still hurt at the thought of not being trusted by the man she had a crush on, but understood his reasoning. There were only three things that kept them from falling apart completely: A policy of honestly, lots of apologies, and dagger-fighting lessons.

They learned and grew together with their skills. Ares' innate knowledge granted by the mark left on Perseus after sparing his son would always make him at least decent at weapons, no matter how little experience he had with it, or how poorly he should've done with the weapon. It had been a difficult task to find a weapon that didn't suit him - bows.

It made sense, of course... Artemis and Orion? Orion was a child of Poseidon. No doubt, one of the twin Archer Deities had placed some sort of curse on the bloodline. Alex still wasn't ready to forgive him for the first and last shot he took with a bow. The arrow curved to such a degree that it pierced the trunk not ten feet away from her. She had fast enough reflexes to dodge had it actually come her way, but that was irrelevant to her.

The moniker 'Apollyon' started to be heard more and more the further east they moved. It made sense - his homeland was nowhere near as disorganized as the sprawling western half of the Roman Empire. Occasionally, he was even recognized in towns that popped up more and more frequently the further they got from Rome. The average person here was wealthier... there was no large gap between the middle and upper class - and it was better that way.

"Hey, Percy?" Alex asked the demigod as they stared up towards the peak. Her companion did not answer. "Percy?" She asked again.

"Hm- oh- what?" He shook his head quickly. "Sorry, what was that?" Alex frowned.

"I've been thinking a lot, lately..."

He turned towards her and winked. "You're a daughter of Athena, isn't that the point?" She laughed and smiled, something that was becoming rarer and rarer over the past few months.

Sometimes, it felt like some of her thoughts weren't her own. Thoughts... _against _Percy. They would come randomly, and they just... _felt _different. Thoughts such as that she hated him. She didn't hate him... did she? Such as to kill him and leave his body somewhere where it would remain undiscovered for centuries. But... she didn't want to kill anyone, much less Percy. She wanted to tell him this... but what if it really just was her? He'd leave her behind, definitely. Why would he stay with someone who wanted to kill him? So, she asked another question that was on her mind.

"What... what happens to me when you become a god?" He paused.

He thought about it for a second. "I... I don't know, really. My plan never included a second person... Although I'm glad you're here," Perseus smiled and squeezed Alexandria's hand in reassurance. She didn't squeeze his back, just slid his hand about it some more. "I'm sure Hestia would absolutely love to make you an immortal handmaiden. And if... if you don't want that, there is another option in the Hunters of Artemis."

"The... Hunters of Artemis?" Alex questioned. Perseus shrugged. He didn't know more specifics, only the bare minimum. It was probably better that way. A warm glow appeared around the two, signifying Hestia's approval.

"See?" Perseus grinned. "I'm here 'til you want me gone."

* * *

The hike up Mt. Olympus was incredibly easy, especially compared to the rest of their trip. The mountain was easily hike-able, it took them less than a week to get to the peak. And, oh boy, was it a sight to see. Magnificent palaces, bustling lanes, glaring lamps and reflections off of every surface. Gold, quartz, lapis, marble, and more constructed the city. It was... breathtaking.

Alex was gushing over the view. She stood near the edge, and all of the sudden, the world went black to her.

Percy watched his friend as she stared at the horizon, smiling, glad to see her happy. Then, all of the sudden, he watched her feet slowly shift toward the edge of city. "Alex?" He called. There was no answer. He walked quickly over to her. "Alex?" She was only two feet away from the edge, now. He broke into a sprint, grabbing her before she could make it off.

Then, they were less than a foot from the edge, and struggling. He couldn't understand what was happening. Had she been driven insane by the sight of Olympus? He couldn't imagine so - she was not weak-minded. Throughout the struggle, he could see over the edge - it was... a long fall. And, there was no open water nearby. He would need to draw the molecules out of the air and earth if he was to save either of them if they fell. For some reason... it almost felt like that was her goal.

Perseus got a glance of her face. It was stoic. Emotionless. Her pupils were so dilated it was as if her eyes were simply pools of gray. In fact, he couldn't see the pupils at all. Then, all of the sudden, everything stopped. She blinked. Her pupils were back to normal. "Perseus...?" She asked quietly, looking at the position they were in - his arms around her, half a foot away from the edge of Olympus. "...What are you doing?" Her voice was... heartbroken.

It destroyed Percy to hear the girl he saw as a surrogate sister sound like that. He tried to keep calm. "What do you mean what am I doing? I'm trying to save your life. What were you doing, trying to throw yourself off a mountain?" She looked up at him, tears present in her eyes and streaming down her face. The sheer shock caused the Son of Poseidon to loosen his grip enough for her to slip out. She walked slowly back to the center path, her arms huddled around herself, glancing at him every few seconds.

Something in the demigod's soul shattered. For the harsh act of trying to save his friend's life... He had been punished. He tried to talk to her, to explain, but she simply started walking forward, up the path towards the Throne Room at the top of Olympus... His final destination.

Not a word was exchanged between the two of them as they entered the room, which seemed to be the size of a small city by itself. All twelve Olympians were there. Perseus locked onto Aphrodite and Demeter first. The two wild-cards. He looked at his patron, Hestia, whose aura was a gentle orange. His father, Poseidon, surrounded by a sea-green. Apollo, the patron of Delos, golden light seeping from his pores. Ares, bloodlust emanating from his very being. Hephaestus, who glowed red like hot coals, his beard smoking as the bottom lit on fire. Hermes, a neutrality, a simple, soft glow coming off of his gargantuan body. Artemis, the green of nature shadowed by the silver of the moon.

He took a look at those who would vote against him. Zeus, the King of the Gods. A sneer on his face, his body radiating a powerful bright blue. A cylinder sat across his lap, sparking every few moments. The Master Bolt. Forged by cyclopes under the command of Poseidon, only coming close to being matched by items such as Poseidon's trident, Hades' Helm of Darkness, and Kronos' Scythe. Beside him, Hera. The Queen of the Gods. She was interested in him, definitely. She watched him intently as he walked through the room, smiling sadly at the sight of the girl beside him. Lastly, Athena. She hated him because of his father alone. He knew that much. Like the rest of the gods and goddesses, she looked flawless. The 'Apollyon' found himself looking at her face, and his breath caught.

Something he saw on it... Yes. Exactly. Just minutes before, he had seen the same pools of gray... in his friend's eyes as she tried to throw herself ten thousand feet to her death.


	17. Chapter 17

"Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon," Zeus spoke gruffly. Percy sighed internally. He had no doubt been discussed heavily before he made it to this point. "You come before us, the Gods of Olympus, seeking Godhood. Normally, I'd smite a mortal as presumptuous as yourself on sight, but certain... _advice _warned me against it." All faces in the room other than the demigoddess next to him looked at Hestia, who only smiled.

"Alexandria Asirios, my daughter," The Goddess of Wisdom looked towards them with a smile that looked just as sinister as it did serene.

Alex's breath caught. "You're the voice in my head." The realization was unquestionable. Her mother smiled apologetically.

"Indeed, clever child. I have tried to give you the best advice that anyone possibly could, although you chose not to heed it... Disappointing." Multiple gods and goddesses knew what she was trying to do. Some of them agreed, even. It didn't take a genius to realize that she was trying to distance the two demigods, even if they didn't know the lengths she had just gone to to do so. Unfortunately, neither Percy or Alex were 'in the loop' enough to understand the manipulative plots at work. "Come here, my daughter."

Almost robotically, the girl started walking towards the goddess. "Alex...?" Percy's voice wavered as his only friend literally turned her back on him. The girl turned back at him, and there were tears in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them, but failing. Her eyes, with the pupils flickering in and out, were screaming with agony. Agony at being forced to choose between the woman she had wanted to see her entire life and the man who had been there for her when nobody else was.

There were tears in Percy's eyes, too. Looking through them, he saw the Goddess of Wisdom staring intently at her daughter, her eyes literally glowing as she channeled power. He looked back at his friend. "I..." He changed his sentence. "...trust you, Alex." Unknowingly, he all but gave her to Athena, as the pupils of the girl's eyes disappeared, and the irises gleamed like pools of light, just like her mother's.

His heart cracked. He had come here to gain the power to protect her, yet, instead, he had lost her. Zeus interrupted with a gruff clearing of his throat. "Yes, yes, very... interesting." His tone said that he thought the opposite. "However, we have come to the decision to leave it to a vote. Should you _somehow _appeal to a majority of us," This was spoken with no small measure of amusement, "You will be granted your immortality as long as your swear your loyalty to us. Otherwise, you will be tossed off this city and used as a target for my Bolt. Do you agree?"

Perseus tried to crack a smile, but the threat was no doubt very real. He wondered if being smote by Zeus would look bad on his application for Elysium when he got to the Underworld. "I do." Zeus grinned wickedly, no doubt thinking that he was about to have an onslaught of support against the boy, and a reason to kill such a powerful being, and a child of his brother no less.

"Wonderful. I will start the vote," a golden tally lit up in the air with two sides, one headed by the Greek characters "υπέρ", and the other headed by "έναντι". For, and against. "Against." A golden mark appeared under έναντι.

"I second that," Hera spoke up immediately after her husband, although her face was sour, and she glared at the man, who was stoutly refusing to look at her. Another mark shimmered into existence.

Hestia came to the defense of the mortal who she hoped could change Olympus for the better, and his father was not far behind. The votes read 2:2, although that changed into 2:3 as Athena voted against. "He is a danger to this council. He is unpredictable, manipulative, and most of all... corruptible."

"His friendship with your daughter does not make him manipulative, Athena." The normally cheerful Goddess of the Hearth glared at her niece. "In fact, I'd say that planting thoughts-" She was cut off by Zeus.

"That is not a vote, and has no place here, sister. Be quiet." The King of the Gods barely shrugged when Apollo voted in favor of, equalizing the vote count. He frowned for a moment when Hermes' vote came quickly after, but dismissed it. Demeter had no connection with him, she was the most heavily neutral in the chamber outside of Aphrodite.

"I apologize," She smiled warmly, "But I will have to vote against. I have little knowledge of your exploits or your intentions." Perseus smiled back.

"I understand, Lady Demeter. I would not ask you to vote for a risk without prior information." The sentence seemed to change the woman's opinion, but it was too late, as her vote tallied up against him. She sent him another, sadder smile, and instead entertained herself with a couple plants growing out of her throne.

"Kid's a warrior. Seen it myself." Swords, lances, maces, and more comprised the God of War's throne. "Man's got some talent, and some heart. I'll vote for his godhood. It'd be nice to have someone to spar against for eternity." The praise from the man seemed surprising to many throughout the room. Hell, it was probably surprising to him to the god himself.

"Thank you, Lord Ares."

Ares nodded slightly to him. "Don't disappoint me, boy."

For the first time, the vote was now in his favor, 5:4. Hephaestus and Artemis still hadn't voted, as well as Aphrodite, but he didn't need to rely on her vote. Zeus noticed this as well, and grit his teeth.

Now, the God of the Forge took the spotlight. "I vote for the boy's immortality. I have seen him in action, and his head and heart are both good, as well as his arms... And his ability to slice through automatons..." The boy blushed uncomfortably at the reminder of how he had destroyed most of the population of the forge at Vesuvius before making it to the turn-off switch, but thanked the god for his support nonetheless.

Six votes for, and four votes against. All he needed now was for Artemis to- "Against." The demigod's eyes locked onto the female half of the Twin Archers while she looked at him with conflicting emotions.

'_Fuck, I knew I should've trained harder with that bow.'_

* * *

**GUYS GUYS PERCY JACKSON IS GETTING A SERIES ON DISNEY+ HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! IT'S EVERYTHING WE EVER WANTED! RICK IS PART OF IT! IT'S FUCKING DISNEY! ****YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES-**

**I think you get the idea.**

**Anywho, Artemis has voted AGAINST Perseus! Who could've possibly seen that coming ~~**even though I foreshadowed it**~~? I hope you guys enjoy this week's chapter of TRoD. Share some reviews, they give me power :-)**

**Seriously though, see you next week!**

**\- PJO Fan Power**

* * *

**For some reason, this chapter didn't update yesterday. It has been uploaded today (Monday). Sorry for the lateness!**


	18. Chapter 18

Emotions danced around the Throne Room, although they were not visible to all. Perseus caught sight of his patron staring intently at Artemis, who was resolutely closing her eyes, blocking out invading thoughts. Athena smirked with delight, her eyes shining at another plan gone right. Zeus didn't see the reason for the debacle, seeing as Artemis hated men in the first place.

However, all of that was blocked out by the aura of a certain goddess. She was staring at Athena, eyes blazing furiously. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, for one of the first times in her immortal life, was genuinely angry. Many times, she was annoyed, or inconvenienced. But this... No. This was Paris and Helen. Heracles and Hebe. Hephaestus... and herself.

"I vote-"

"Think about this, Aphrodite," Athena warned, a mirage of battle armor flickering in and out on top of her body. The threat did not dissuade the goddess in the slightest.

"-for the hero's immortality." The room went silent. Very few of the deities present had ever truly thought about the possibility that the vote could be successful. That the man in front of them could actually join them in the ranks of godhood.

Zeus, especially, was awestruck. He had come into this believing that he would be getting a free pass to kill an idiotic demigod of his brother's, but instead... he had to grant him the highest gift? He growled. The Ancient Laws decreed that he had to follow through with the vote. If he couldn't have him dead, he'd have the next best thing... A loyal servant. A... puppet.

"Swear your vows to Olympus, first, _boy_," The King of the Gods frowned. He would still have to see how he could twist the vow in his favor.

The black-haired demigod nodded silently. He thought his words through, changing how he would say them, doubting himself... All of the sudden, warmth pulsated in his chest. He looked up at his patron to see her smiling at him. He suddenly found the courage, the certainty. "I, Perseus Jackson, born of the island of Delos in the sea, swear to uphold my loyalty to the just and righteous gods and goddesses of the Olympian Council."

The words were short and simple. Yet, they got along the point effectively. He would only be bound to serve the finest gods, those who truly deserved it, and Zeus couldn't contest, as doing so would be akin to saying he was unjust, even though he was the God of Justice.

"And... If I may ask, what of my friend?" Percy wondered, stealing a glance over at Alexandria, who was staring blankly ahead of her, so unlike the person he had been travelling with for the past months.

Athena all but snapped, "You may not ask!" It seemed her plan failing had sent her into a crazed spiral. Her eyes were glowing, and her battle armor was flickering in and out rapidly. Her aura was starting to whip up the wind around her. A sudden second aura burst into place.

Poseidon stood up. "Stop your meddling, child! Your manipulations and attempts on my son have failed, and trust me, they were not unnoticed. The sea will not soon forget this. I believe we have a mortal to raise to godhood, now." He sat back down, sending a sad smile at his son, who, to his surprise, smiled brightly back.

Hestia smiled at the interaction. It seemed the truth of the Ancient Laws was a better policy than any other, after all. She sent one last thought to Perseus' mind. '_You have done well, my champion. Do not forget your promises.'_

_'I won't.' _He vowed. He was about to gain the ability to protect the ones he loved, which was the greatest gift anyone had ever gotten for him. As the gods gathered their power, some more reluctantly than others, he took a look at the roof, a masterpiece that seemed to flow in every color and image at once. As he viewed the rising sun through the open doors, a sudden thought struck him...

'_Well... isn't this one Hades of a birthday present?'_

* * *

"Rise," A raspy voice spoke. Three mystical beings stood in front of him. "As of this day, you are no longer Perseus Jackson, but Perseus, the God of Currents, Heroes, Combat, and Loyalty. As you are too powerful to be a minor god, you shall be a major god, second to only the Olympians themselves. We no longer control your thread. Your life..." The closest of the three Fates smiled sadistically at him. "Is in your hands."

* * *

**Hello, everyone! I would just like to say thank you for reading my story. This week's update is a little bit shorter than usual, as I was stuck in a car for most of Sunday. 2 days from now marks four months since the first chapter of this story was published! That means we are 1/3 of the way done with the story! I hope that fills you with as much joy as it fills me with. I have always had trouble with going through with stories, and here we are, only having missed one week of an upload! Thank you so much for being here on this journey with me. See y'all soon, and I hope you enjoyed the story.**

**For all of you who celebrate it, enjoy your Memorial Day. And for all of those who celebrated Ramadan, I hope you enjoyed Eid Al-Fitr, and wish good things upon you.**

**Cheers,**

**\- PJO Fan Power.**


	19. Chapter 19

As Perseus came back to reality, he first realized that he had faceplanted on the ground in front of him. _'Well, that's a good first-impression.' _He thought. The second thing that he realized was that... damn, immortality hurt. It felt like every sense he had had been multiplied a-hundred-fold. It felt like lightning had struck him, then he had been burned to a crisp, then placed back together piece by piece with excruciating slowness. In short - it hurt. A lot.

"Well, get on it with it," Zeus growled, catching the newly-made god's attention. Razor-sharp instincts pulled to the front of his mind the conversation that had been had while he was unconscious, as well as his instructions.

* * *

_"Athena!" Hestia growled, looking downright ready to murder the goddess, who was glaring at the spot the fledgling immortal was currently residing in, his body smoking as it transformed into that of a god's._

_Two critical eyes turned to face two furious ones. "Yes?"_

_Across the room, another goddess, Artemis, was frowning intensely. She felt eyes on her body, and refused to let them meet hers. She knew who they belonged to, after all, and as much as she hated to admit it, she had done wrong. And... if she met those eyes of the God of the Seas, she knew she would feel horrors beyond her imagination. More than likely, she was already doomed._

_Back with Hestia and Athena, Hestia's glare was so fierce fire literally started to form around her body. "You stuck-up, __pompous filth. You lie, you manipulate, you take, and you take! All of it must be yours. Everything must go to your will. To your... _plans_." The last word was sneered as if it was a curse._

_Another goddess joined in the argument as Athena prepared to respond. "You have messed with love, Athena. It is one thing to disobey your own realm, it is another entirely to disobey mine." Aphrodite glared, and for a moment, the Goddess of Wisdom paled and began to doubt her decision._

_"I did what I had to do to save my daughter-"_

_"-You tried to murder your daughter and blame it on him!" Hestia bit out. The Goddess of the Moon bit back a scream. She had trusted her sister, and that faith had been misused, desecrated in the worst way possible._

_Athena rolled her eyes, her hubris coming back in full force. "She'd be better off dead with that... that..."_

_"That what?" Hermes finally joined the conversation. "That man who was willing to give up immortality and godhood just to protect her? That man who will be the greatest hero of his age? No... That Son of Poseidon. That's the real problem here, isn't it?"_

_Hera gave her two drachmas. "I don't see why this matters. We all know where this goes from here. The girl will eventually go insane and die, and the boy will forget about her. Did you remember that part, Athena? Or did you forget that mortals cannot contain the consciousness of gods?" Athena curled her lips, sensing the mood of the room turn against her._

_"That is **enough**," Zeus silenced the room, sparking dangerously. "We will wait for the boy to awake and tell us his domains. He is a Son of Poseidon, it won't take too much longer," he said, assuredly._

_They waited for another eight hours._

* * *

Perseus knelt down on one knee. "I am Perseus, the Major God of Currents, Heroes, Combat, and Loyalty." Whispers erupted. Zeus grew enraged at the word 'Major'. He glared at his sister, Hestia. She would pay for bringing this upstart to Olympus. He would make sure of that. At the moment, though, he grit his teeth and clapped twice.

"Rise, Perseus. You have joined us in the ranks of Godhood. Did the Fates decree that you would join us as an Olympian?" Perseus shook his head negatively.

"They did not, My King." The title was necessary, now. At least until all of this cooled down. For now, tensions were too high, and he was still at risk to be blasted to death. He snuck a look at Alexandria, his vision even sharper than before, and his heart broke as he learned his first lesson of being immortal. '_Never get too attached to anyone, because... they'll die, and you'll live on.' _

The girl's eyes were unfocused, her face drooping, and her limbs limp. He thought back to his unconscious memories. _'Athena possessed her and burnt out her mind... That's why she's like this.' _A second thought came immediately after. _'But... she did it because of me. Does that make it... _my _fault?' _He blinked multiple times as he processed the thought, but ultimately filed it away. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to save her somehow...

"This meeting is finished," Zeus grumbled. He needed to relieve some stress. The King of the Gods disappeared in a flash of lightning, and Perseus got a little ping in his brain, which was instantly processed as a discrepancy in his realm of Loyalty. He meet the Queen of the Gods' sorrowful eyes, a single tear leaking from her eye before she, too, flashed out of the Throne Room.

"My son, I'm so proud of you." Poseidon approached the new god, shrinking down to a mortal size. "I am also thankful to Hestia for helping you along on your journey that the Laws forbade me from doing," He turned to his sister, who walked over to them, shrinking down as well.

"Of course. Perseus knows that I just didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart, however. He has a job." Poseidon nodded.

"I see. But for now, he can enjoy himself and learn how to manage his domains." He turned back to Perseus. "You've done the hardest part, but being a god is not all fun and games. You now have a responsibility towards your domains to maintain them to the best of your abilities." He turned back to Hestia. "Alright, I must take my leave now. Atlantis is in turmoil with your appearance, Perseus." He cut off his son as he started to apologize. "It's not your fault!" He laughed.

Hestia smiled. "I understand, brother. Others wish to talk to the new god, as well." She winked at her champion, and the two of them flashed out.

Apollo reached Perseus first. He whispered to him a bit, and then spoke louder. "Well done. I have not forgotten what you did for my son. I am glad to have some representation from my island of Delos in the hierarchy of the gods. If you ever need advice or healing, do not hesitate, Percy." The new god winced at the nickname and what it reminded him of, but he smiled and nodded anyway.

"Thank you, Lord Apollo."

The God of the Sun laughed. "None of that 'Lord' stuff, man. We're all gods, here. See ya around," He smirked, winked, and flashed out in a golden ray. Perseus took a glance at Athena's throne, but both the goddess and Alexandria had disappeared.

Hermes came up next. "I meant what I said, and I know you heard it. I am sorry about what happened to your friend, Perseus. Truly." He pat the god on the head, winking and snapping, before walking out of the Throne Room, wings sprouting out of his clothes, carrying him off.

"I want to apologize-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lady Demeter." It wouldn't hurt to start some positive interactions with some of the Olympians, Perseus decided. He could understand her thought process.

"Thank you, young god. I am glad it did not end up being the deciding vote. The guilt I would have felt..." Some of the plants on her throne swooned. Perseus just cracked a smile.

"Then let us be glad it didn't," He responded. The goddess looked at him appraisingly.

"Yes," She said, "Let's." She took a look at something on his head and shook her head with a chuckle, but left without another word. The sun was suddenly a bit less intense, and he smiled.

Ares had left. It seemed he didn't care too much about the new god after all, but Perseus had no doubt that he would be watching. He looked at the last of the immortals who wished to talk to him...

"Lady Artemis." He acknowledged. She straightened up, and walked over.

"Don't let this get to your head. I still don't approve, but... I was wrong. Tell anyone I ever said that, and I'll send you to reform myself," she promised, not letting him get a word in edgewise before she flashed out. Perseus looked at the spot she had stood, astounded.

"Well... okay then."

* * *

**Enjoy the longer chapter in return for last week's shorter chapter!**

**With love,**

**PJO Fan Power.**


	20. Chapter 20

The room was suddenly very empty, ten of its occupants cleared out. Perseus, Hephaestus, and Aphrodite were all that were left. The Goddess of Beauty seemed content to sit in her throne for the moment, and the God of the Forge made his way up to Perseus.

"Thank you, Lord Hephaestus," Perseus said to the god.

The man smiled. "I think that Apollo put it quite well. We're all gods here. The "Lord" part is unnecessary, Perseus. And, it's not a problem. After you helped me retake my forge, it's the least I could do. I will say, though... I am surprised at my wife's behavior."

"Oh?" A confused Perseus intoned. "What do you mean by that?"

Hephaestus shrugged. "Well, for one thing, she voted for your godhood. I had tried to convince her after Vesuvius, but she all but told me to leave her palace. For another, you've been here for nearly ten hours, and she hasn't tried to have sex with you yet." Another flash bipped in Perseus' head. All of the sudden, the breaking of loyalty between Aphrodite and Hephaestus was almost visible in the air... His heart tumbled. As if he could see what the other god was going through, Hephaestus smiled sadly. "It's not your fault, my boy. It's not her's, either, not really. We... never wanted to be married. I wanted to try and make it work. For a short time... So did she." He sighed.

Perseus stood, silent, not knowing what to say. He didn't know what to think of the Goddess of Love and Beauty. He had been thrust into the world of the Olympians, something that, while he had believed he was prepared for, he was truly and woefully incorrect about.

The other god's beard lit on fire, the tense moment passing. "Well, my boy," he straightened up, "Come by my forge some time in the next few days. I'll make you a weapon fitting a warrior of your status."

"Lor- Hephaestus," Perseus tried to cut himself off from the title. "I really don't need another weapon-"

"-Nonsense! What if you lost Anaklusmos? Besides, all major gods are required to have a weapon of power - It's so they can go places without destroying anything. It soaks up the extra power they radiate out; and trust me, with four domains, you're going to radiating a _lot _of power. Why do you think Zeus is always carrying around his bolt with him? It's not just paranoia. He even has extra symbols, one for each of his domains... But if you ask me, he just does that to prove his superiority." The two shared a quick laugh that Perseus hoped wouldn't get him killed the moment he locked eyes with the King of the Gods. "But, yes. I would normally just upgrade Riptide, but it's not a work of mine - I wouldn't want to tamper with another forge's steel. Taboo, you see," he explained, "but I'll make you another sword if you'd like it. Or a dagger. Or a bow that could counter Artemis' curse on you."

"I have a curse on me?" Perseus asked. What the Hades had he done to this goddess that he didn't know about?

The god frowned. "Yes... It was placed on the children of Poseidon after... Well, you know, it would be better to talk to her about that. Although... Maybe, at the same time, it's probably just better to leave it alone." Perseus nodded in agreement. "Alright, well I'll have to take my leave, Perseus. I can never leave the forges for too long - always weapons to be supplied."

"Of course, Lord Hephaestus. Take care," he responded.

The Lord of the Forges chuckled. "Ah... Mortal pleasantries..." He murmured, then flashed out.

Perseus gulped as he turned to face the last other occupant of the room. Aphrodite. The reason he wasn't a smoldering pile of ash on the ground right now.

"Lady Aphrodite," he greeted uncertainly.

"You're so polite it's almost satirical," she snorted, shrinking down to a mortal size and walking over to him, her form shifting rapidly until she looked completely different. "You're welcome, by the way, so save your gratitude for now. I didn't vote for your godhood just for you, you know. Athena messed with the realm of love. She forcibly separated you and your friend, so, in a way, you had a bond so strong it required divine intervention to be overcome. Not bad, kid."

Perseus frowned. "I'm 18..." He saw the humor in it as he said it.

"And how old am I?" The goddess teased.

Perseus' eyebrows raised. "That's a trap. That's a trap, and I know it, and I will not answer it." Aphrodite laughed, and he quickly saw that she had just broken the ice with her jest. More confusion to add to her character, he supposed.

"But... really. Usually, I'd have already gotten into your tunic by now, but this is a bit more important. You don't know how to perform any of your godly duties yet, do you?" As she said this, Perseus realized he hadn't. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, you are kinda cute-" Perseus scowled and made to interrupt, but the goddess continued, "-but I'd rather not have a new god running around with no way to control their powers."

"I don't suppose I have a choice in this, do I?" Perseus asked.

Aphrodite winked. "Hilarious, now, for your first teaching, you get to learn how to flash travel."

* * *

**A little bit of a continuation, but it will stop here because it's 11:57 PM. I'm sorry for missing last week - The end of school happened! It was a lot of stuff all at once, and I apologize.**

**Remember to look for another chapter tomorrow, as that will be "this week's" upload.**

**Love y'all,**

**PJO Fan Power**


	21. Chapter 21

Willing things to happen was harder than it sounded. It wasn't enough to just want it to happen... You had to _force_ it to happen. It was a bit hard to explain, Perseus supposed, like telling a blind man what it was like to see, or teaching someone with no arms what it felt to grip something. You had to do it to know what was going on. Flashing was... It was crazy. Or perhaps it was sensory overload from his new godly status.

He followed Aphrodite as she flashed off of Olympus, a little blip telling him his destination. Rome, yet again. It seemed like there was far too much going on here for the city to ever stay quiet. He tried to just... _want_ it to happen. It didn't work. He summoned water particles out of the moisture in the air - his favorite trick. It was weird. There was air in the water, and water in the air, and in the end... Nobody really cared.

He swished it around, feeling it, testing it out. Using his powers before hadn't been the easiest - but it hadn't been too difficult, either. He had to pay attention to the water as a whole, had to make sure he kept his senses out to detect it, to bend it to his will. Now... It was effortless, and that was almost... scary. It swished around. He brought some more water out of the air, and he inhaled... Something he realized he hadn't done in well over an hour. It just... wasn't something he needed to do.

More spheres of water joined the first. Perseus closed his eyes. They started to dance around him, swaying, droplets bouncing up and down. He started to rotate them, then speed them up, faster and faster... A wheel of water formed, and he let himself get lost in the movement...

"Perseus?" The water fell to the ground as Perseus was startled.

"Lady Aphrodite!" He gasped, and suddenly remembered his original plan of flashing to Rome. "My Lady, I am-"

She waved his concerns off. "Please, as if a few minutes mean anything to me. I figured you were having a bit of trouble, but... that was something else entirely," she said, remarking on his little 'water show'.

Perseus blushed. "You didn't see too much, did you?" The goddess rolled her eyes.

"Define 'too much'," she replied. "Zeus would only raise his paranoia if he saw you had that much control over your powers already, and I doubt that your father wouldn't be just a bit jealous..." Perseus winced.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" He was well aware that his hydrokinesis was a rare gift, as rare a child of Zeus gaining electrokinesis or aerokinesis. Er.. maybe a bit more, considering how much Zeus 'got around'...

Aphrodite didn't respond for a moment. The tense air only got thicker and thicker before she spoke again. "Did you know I was born out of sea form?"

"What?" The change of topic didn't go unnoticed by the godling. "I thought that..."

Aphrodite smiled, a bit sadly. "Mortals thought I might be a daughter of Zeus or Poseidon, but in reality... I'm alone in this pantheon, truly. The rest of them, descended from the Titans, be it the Crooked One, one of the Cardinal Titans, or what have you... And here I am, just a pretty face, made from someone's final wishes." Perseus looked at the woman, shocked. She was a goddess, how could she feel left out from... anything?

"Lady Aphrodite..." Perseus was stopped by her clearing her throat.

"Enough of that," she smiled, her demeanor instantly changing. "Let's see if we can't help you figure out how to flash travel, shall we? Show me what you've been doing."

The black-haired god showed her. She snickered at his form. "It looks like you're trying to pass a kidney stone," she snarked.

"A... what?" Aphrodite waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, you need to use your power just like you used it to control that water earlier. You know how you tapped into it, and told it to move that water? Do that again, but this time, tell it to take you somewhere." She ordered.

Perseus closed his eyes, went through his process, and... He opened his eyes. Still on Olympus, definitely. A large ball of water was in front of him... by about 100 yards. He gasped in surprise and dropped it. "Not exactly what I was thinking of..." Aphrodite giggled, a tinkling sound.

"So... what did I do wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head in faux disappointment. "Now, where would the learning experience be if I simply just told you... And more importantly, where would the fun be in the that?" Perseus sighed. He'd probably have to get used to this, wouldn't he?

He focused again... He felt for his power, felt for the pool in his stomach, grasped at it... And forced it out. He wanted to move. He wasn't quite sure where Rome was from here exactly, a little to the west, and a little bit down, right...?

Perseus opened his eyes again. For a moment, he wasn't sure if it had worked. But, no; He wasn't on Olympus, nor was he in Rome, so that begged the bigger question...

If he wasn't there, where the hell was he?

* * *

**A-ha! Some more confusion added into the mix. Enjoy it! Sorry that I missed last week's update! Like I said, the end of school was hectic... which may or may not have been because I procrastinated on all of my work, but whatever.**

**Much love,**

**PJO Fan Power**


	22. Chapter 22

Perseus looked around at his surroundings. Dense forests surrounded him, and in the distance, mountains. He felt out with the growing pit of power within him; used it to show him even further. For miles, there was nothing... Then, about 13 miles out... Two beings. A demigod and a monster.

Then he heard it. A prayer was resounding in his head, and it grew so loud he wondered how he'd ever been able to ignore it. _'Lord Perseus, God of Combat, hear my prayer and answer! Lend me your strength to defeat my foe!' _With a start, Perseus realized - that's why he was here! He had been attracted by the prayer! He focused on the blip in his mind - it was already easier to detect than it had been to detect Zeus' disloyalty. He flashed again.

This time, he landed right on top of the monster/demigod combo. The demigod was pinned against a tree. Riptide was in his hand before he knew it, and the monster, a hellhound, was dead instantly. Gold dust scattered as the demigod looked up at him, recognition painting his eyes.

"Lord Perseus..." He murmured. "Thank you, my Lord. Thank you."

The new god looked down at him. "How did you know my name?" The teen chuckled, recovering from his near-death experience quickly.

"All of the world knows, I'd say. Tales of Perseus, the hero of the Colosseum so great that even the gods took notice." Perseus eyes widened fractionally; had the gods spread tales about him? It made sense... How else would he gain worshipers? Perseus stuck a hand out to the boy, who gratefully took the arm up.

"So, who are you the son of?" Perseus asked. The kid raised an eyebrow.

"My parents."

The god snorted. "Funny. Hermes, I'm guessing?" The boy shrugged and nodded. "So, what are you doing out here?" At this, the demigod grinned.

"I'm trying to find someone." Perseus raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Another voice shouted from behind, "You!" The god whirled around and subconsciously placed his sword at the throat of the newcomer, another young man, who was shocked into silence.

"Alright," the god started, "you found me. What do you want?"

The first demigod grinned. "Well, that's simple. I want to fight you! I'm the best sword-fighter in my town, and once I beat you, I'll know I'm the best in the world."

"Beat me?" Perseus asked. "You were just having trouble against that hellhound. How do expect to beat a god if you can't beat a hellhound?" The boy went crimson, but retained his confidence.

"It caught me off guard, that's all. Besides, it doesn't have a sword, so it doesn't count," the boy explained. Perseus just shook his head and went along with it.

"Alright. Go ahead, attack me. I won't even fight back. If you hit me, I'll tell everyone that wants to hear that you beat me in a fair fight." Perseus felt a pang in his heart as he was reminded of his squabble with Alex outside of Vesuvius - He'd give anything to be able to jest like that with her just one more time. He kept an eye on the boy behind him as he flicked Riptide back to his side as the demigod retrieved his sword.

The boy grinned as he picked up his sword. "Watch out! You're able to face the best sword-fighter in the world!" His stance was off slightly, with his legs too wide and his off-arm too close to his body. He charged, but it with Perseus' enhanced perception, it might as well have been a snail's crawl. As soon as the boy got close, Perseus moved out of the way and tripped the boy, then caught him at the seam of his himation, keeping him from falling over.

"Your stance is all off," Perseus explained as he pushed the boy slightly, making him stumble forwards. "Feet too wide, arms in the wrong spots... To top it off, you're slow. Give it another five-hundred years, maybe." The boy whirled around and slashed blindly, but Perseus was already gone.

* * *

"So," Aphrodite began, "What do you think you'll be doing, now that you've gotten immortality?"

Perseus sighed, looking out from the upper balcony of Aphrodite's house on the outskirts of Rome. "I... don't know. I'm not even sure why I wanted it in the first place. I told myself it was to restore the glory of Greece, but... I've never really even been to Greece. Not that I can remember, at least. I'm Greek, and that's it. Maybe... Maybe it fell for a reason. All of that infighting... maybe there was a reason for it."

Aphrodite nodded. "Yes... Things are rarely what they appear to be. For example, all of those Olympians, they think I'm just some idiot only good for her body."

"Alright..." Perseus trailed off. "What are you trying to say? That Olympus is wrong?"

"Sometimes," Aphrodite shrugged. "Maybe I'm just trying to say live your life how you want to. You don't owe anyone anything." She sighed. "If you don't mind me asking... What _do _you want to do with your life?"

Perseus thought about it. _'What _do _I want with my life?' _He thought about growing up in Rome, fighting in the Colosseum, killing Augustus, going on his quests for gods... He flashed back to the only thing he had really consciously done without having a greater reason to. "I... I want to help people." He remembered going after the Germans who had been tearing through those towns... Meeting Alex. He held back a tear.

What good was having the strength to protect those you loved if you had to sacrifice those you loved for it?

He grabbed the hairpin out of his hair and flipped it around a few times, appreciating the perfect weight. He thought back to the boy from the forest, already a week ago, and a thought popped into his head. "Thank you, Aphrodite."

"You're-" She was cut off as the other god flashed out of the room. "-welcome..."

Perseus grinned as he found himself back on Olympus, in front of Hephaestus' palace. He knocked on the door and enhanced his height to match the dimensions of the palace. He needed a new godly weapon, after all.

* * *

**This is the first of three chapters in the next 24 hours! Sorry for making you guys wait so long... I had no idea where to take this story with this chapter. Rest assured, though, I finally have the slightest of an idea. Also, expect chapters to start getting a little bit longer - I've come to the realization that there's no way I'll be able to make the story work if I stick to 1k chapters.**


	23. Chapter 23

Alessia Mason glared at the words swimming around the pages of her history textbook. She swore, it was like some of them were taunting her, mocking her from the confines of the paper. Dyslexia was a bitch. _'Well,_' she thought as she slammed the book shut, _'Unfortunately for dyslexia, so am I.'_ It didn't matter that the other kids were staring at her now, they were all annoying anyway.

The teacher in front kept on droning on, probably too immersed in her own voice to even hear the commotion behind her. The chalk just kept scratching. After a few moments, she turned around and asked a question to one of Alessia's only friends in school - Percy. "Mr. Jackson, and what were the conditions like in the Great War trenches?" Aforesaid 'Mr. Jackson' didn't answer, probably because he had his earbuds in.

Alessia threw him a bone, or more accurately, a piece of paper. It bounced off of his forehead and he tore off his earbuds like they were made of fire. "Sorry, what was the question?" The class snickered, but Percy paid it no mind. The teacher, Ms. Kini, repeated the question.

"I asked you what the conditions were like as a trench soldier in World War One." Percy's finger slipped on the pin he was always fiddling with, sending it flying into the air, but he quickly caught it.

"Oh, easy. Most of the soldiers going into it, they were depressed and cynical, and they knew they wouldn't get out alive, and most of them were right. You had constant gunfire going, shells exploding everywhere, disease was rampant, people trying to tunnel under the fields in order to get a surprise attack on the other side's trenches, everyone in there had basically given up on going home. They hated their countries, their politicians, and-" Percy was cut off by the teacher clearing her throat, evidently upset that she hadn't caught the boy in a slip-up.

"That's quite enough, Mr. Jackson," She said, before going back to scrawling on the blackboard. Alessia rolled her eyes. Percy was like the opposite of her, especially in academics. It seemed like he knew everything about everything, despite the fact that she had never seen him so much as pick up a book. The closest they came to interacting, and how they met, was through Yancy Academy's swim team. Percy was the captain of the team, but she was a close runner-up on his speed.

The teen slipped his earbuds back in, and caught Alessia looking at him, and winked. She smiled. Being in this hell of a school was almost worth it, if only because she got to talk to Percy. And Grover, too. Those two were two of the only reasons she hadn't flunked out already, other than the fact that her mom would be disappointed. She sighed... and then the bell rang. Somehow Percy was already packed and at the door, waiting for her.

"Well, that was boring," Percy remarked as the two walked out of the classroom together. "At least we have Latin next."

Alessia turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "History? Boring? Never." They snickered at that. "I'll never understand how you know so much about all these dumb battles, or why you're interested in them anyway." The girl clapped her hands over her mouth as her eyes widened. Her ADHD never let her shut up, it seemed. She snuck a look at Percy, but he didn't seem too bothered, he only shrugged.

"I learned a lot from them," was his mysterious answer. Alessia accepted it, glad she hadn't just hurt one of her only friends in the world.

"Like... what?"

Perseus rolled his eyes. "Y'know, like, learn from past mistakes, battle tactics, how to lead an army effectively. That kind of stuff." The black-haired girl nodded. They reached the Latin classroom, which was taught by Mr. Brunner. He was an old man in a wheelchair, but he might as well have been the coolest guy in the world. He actually taught hands-on material, and even better, his class was material that Alessia could actually learn. Or, at least, she was as restricted with the stuff as everyone else, since _none _of them could read Latin... Except for Percy, because it seemed like there was nothing that he _couldn't _do. Alessia frowned. She resolved to find at least one thing he couldn't do. No human was perfect, after all.

* * *

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was... Well, it was okay. As okay as a bunch of dead people and oil paintings made by dead people could be.

Percy was nowhere to be found. More than likely he had found a shady spot and had settled in for a nap with his music in. They were currently in front of a large piece that depicted some Greek mythology. "Now, who can tell me what this is?" Mr. Brunner asked, wheeling himself in front of the piece. Alessia studied it closely for a few moments before raising her hand.

She was lucky; it was one of the pieces depicted one of the events her mom had told her about when she was small - The Titanomachy. Specifically... "It's where the Titan Kronos ate his children, right, sir?" A few choruses of "Ew!" came from the rest of the students.

"That is indeed correct, Miss Mason."

"Pah, why are we even learning about this?" Nancy, a short girl with a high-pitched voice whined. A few of her friends joined in. "It's all fake, anyway." Alessia glared at her. Wasn't everything fake, really? Who was to say anything was real?

"You are learning about this because this is your world's history, and Hellenistic culture was a large part of Roman society," Mr. Brunner informed the redhead. "However, Miss Bobofit did have a great question. Miss Mason, what would you say is the most important part of learning about this?" The question, although innocuous, carried a suspicious weight in the air.

Alessia paused for a moment, closing one of her sea-green eyes in concentration. "Uh... Don't eat your kids because your wife might get mad?" A few chuckles came from the crowd, although it seemed like most of them didn't understand the joke. Her Latin teacher still looked at her intently, and she found herself at a loss for words. And then, like a godsend, she saw him... Percy Jackson. Asleep on top of a piece of scaffolding he had no reasonable way of getting on top of, and all that reminded her of was their recent conversion.

She thought again, and smiled. "So we can learn from the mistakes of the past, sir."

The wheelchair-bound teacher's eyes widened fractionally, but he smiled. "Bravo! I couldn't have said it better myself. Anyway, on that cheery note, time for lunch!" Alessia walked out with the rest of the crowd, only stopping momentarily to look for Percy and wake him up. She checked the scaffolding where he had been sleeping... He wasn't there.

* * *

**A great big apology from me! I had an unexpected event early in the day that really tired the hell out of me. Welcome to the modern era! I know the jump was very sudden, and if I have time, I'll go back and edit the last chapter to add in a bit more content and a better fill-in. Expect the next chapter... hopefully within the next 21 hours, but no promises. I'm trying, I swear to gooshnets.**

**Love and apologies,**

**PJO Fan Power**


	24. Chapter 24

"Miss Mason, you had a question for me?" Her Latin professor asked, peering over his glasses, the rain pattering on the umbrella fastened to his chair.

"Um... yeah," She replied awkwardly, looking anywhere except for at the man. She caught sight of the book he was reading - Oliver Twist. She also looked at his legs, which were odd in proportion to his body. She attributed it the accident he had lost the use of them in. "Do you happen to know where Percy is?"

"Percy?" He questioned, a contemplative look on his face as he pondered for a few moments. "Ah! You mean young Perseus." _'His full name is _Perseus_?' _Alessia thought in surprise, trying to keep her laughter in for the moment. "Hmm... I believe I see him over there by the fountain." He pointed towards the large marble fountain that covered a large portion of the plaza. True to his word, there was the boy. But... Alessia had just been there, and hadn't seen him. She shrugged it off. She had only gotten four hours of sleep the night before, maybe that was why she was missing everything today.

She turned away, hearing the faintest of a word. "Sorry, what was that, sir?" She turned back around. Her teacher only smiled.

"Ah, I was just thinking that I should write a letter to my half-brother. I seem to be seeing parts of him around me everywhere, today."

Alessia smiled. "I think he'd enjoy that, sir."

She made her way over to Percy, who waved her over when he saw her. She whacked him on the head when she got close enough. "Ow," he complained, "what was that for?"

"Where have you been?" She hissed quietly. "Today has been _so_ boring." The boy rolled his sea-green eyes.

"That's a shame. I was at the McDonald's on third, having a good time."

"Ass," she scowled.

"You know it," was his only reply.

Alessia then had a realization. "Wait... So, you weren't asleep on the scaffolding in the museum?" Percy looked at her confused.

"Uh... No? Why would I have been. Are you feeling okay, Alessia?" He tilted his head at her, and she blushed. She _was _okay, right?

She put on a smile. "Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" She tried to sway the conversation in a different direction. "So, you said you were at the McDonald's on third, right? You better have gotten me a-"

He interrupted her by reaching into his bag and pulling out a wrapped burger. "-A double quarter-pounder with extra cheese, bacon, and lettuce? What do you take me for, an idiot?"

Alessia snickered. "You sure you want me to answer that?" Percy rolled his eyes. She unwrapped the burger and inhaled deeply, savoring the smell. How could something so bad smell so good?

"You know, when the cows revolt and destroy the upper-class and take their place at the head of the world, I'm going to point them to you." A new voice entered the conversation.

"Ay, G-Man!" Percy smiled as Grover laid down his crutches and sat down on the steps of the fountain. "How do you like the weather?"

Grover shook his head. "Nearly slipped and died three times on the way out of the museum, and I hate the rain, but other than that, it's fine." The other two kids laughed at the boy's misfortune.

"You know, I personally like the rain. Did you know the scent you smell is called petrichor, and it's actually the plants' oils being released? I love it."

"That's so weird... Why do you even know that?" Grover asked, making the other boy shrug.

Alessia nodded in approval. "I agree. It's my favorite scent in the world, really. And nothing wrong with a little rain. It's like a free shower!" Grover went pale, but neither of the other two took note. Before the conversation could progress further...

"Oh, wow, look! It's the loser, the cripple, and the orphan! So poor they only have a single burger to share between them!" Nancy and her gang laughed, although it sounded more like a cat choking than anything else. Alessia started to stand up, but Percy pulled her down.

"It's not worth it. Idiots will always be dumb. Beating them up won't change that. Besides, you're on your last warning. Your mom would be heartbroken." Alessia frowned. He was right, of course. Her mom, really one of the only good things left in her life, was hoping that she'd be able to at least complete a full year of schooling in a row. It wasn't her fault! Weird stuff just... _happened _around her.

Nancy smirked. "That's right, coward. Let the orphan boss you around. Maybe he'll give you a little love, unlike your daddy-" Oh, that was it. Alessia shot up, seeing red. Her vision blurred slightly, and when it cleared, Nancy was in the middle of the fountain, crying. Whispers started echoing throughout the plaza.

"Did you see-?"

"The rain, it like... grabbed her!"

"What the hell...?"

Breaths came in big gulps as Alessia recovered from... _whatever _she had just done. She turned towards Percy and Grover, both of whom's eyes were wide enough to contend for a world record.

"Miss Mason! Miss Bobofit!" The math teacher, Mrs. Dodds growled as she stalked towards them. She pulled Nancy out of the fountain and dried her off, cooing to her. It made Alessia want to gag. Evil bitch child, check, and evil bitch adult, check. They were perfect together. As soon as Mrs. Dodds was certain that Nancy was firmly coddled and smothered with attention, she turned towards Alessia, with a look that could only be described as 'evil' on her face. "Follow me, _hunny_." It was an order and a threat in one.

"Wait, I did it!"

"Sit down, Mr. Underwood." The old crone gave them the stink eye. Alessia turned to him and gave him a smile that said 'Thanks for trying.' She turned back around and followed Mrs. Dodds, who was walking at a very fast pace, fast enough that she almost had to run to catch up.

They walked through the museum, which was strangely devoid of people. There had been dozens here before, and now they were all gone. "Mrs. Dodd- Mrs. Dodds! I didn't do anything."

The teacher fixed her with a glare. "We know _exactly _what you did, hunny." For some reason, the woman's eyes flickered at saying this. "I'm surprised you would go against your father like that..." _'Father? What?' _She voiced her thoughts.

"My dad's dead... He died in a plane crash before I was born." The woman snorted.

"As if." The opened up into the room they had been in before, making Alessia look around. Nobody was there.

"Mrs. Dodds, I don't think we're-" She turned back to her teacher, or where she had previously been at least. "Mrs. Dodds?" She yelled out.

"Up here, hunny." Alessia looked up. There was her teacher, standing on the scaffolding where she had thought she had seen Percy earlier. "We know what you did. Many people are angry about it."

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but I'll buy Nancy a new t-shirt or whatever!"

"Lies!" The woman screamed. All of the sudden, the woman grew... wings?! "Die, hunny!" The woman-bat hybrid thing dove down at her, and she rolled out of the way. She had nothing to fight her with, Alessia quickly realized.

"Somebody help me!" She yelled. Her former math teacher cackled.

"Nobody can-" A choking noise interrupted her sentence as a sword pierced through the middle of her body. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the rapidly retracting metal, and then she looked at the man who wielded it. "I-impossible... Direct interference is... not... allowed."

"This is well within my domains, Alecto. Tell my uncle hello." Mrs. Dodds... or Alecto, or whatever, dissolved into a fine golden mist before her eyes, which quickly drifted away.

Alessia's vision started to blur as the adrenaline began to wear off. The man who had stabbed the bat-woman made his way down from the scaffolding. He was tall, but Alessia really couldn't make out individual details until he started to get close. He pulled something that looked like cornbread from his pocket, but slightly glowed, and fed it to her. It tasted... delicious. Like cream soda in solid form.

Her vision began to darken around the edges, but she finally managed to get a good look at her savior's face. It was more aged, but it definitely looked like... "Percy...?" Was the last word she muttered before she succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

**Sorry about this late, late update guys. I had wanted to do this earlier in the week, but I've been really drained of willpower for the past couple days. I'll be on vacation until the sixteenth, but after that I'll hopefully be feeling better and get started on this weeks chapter. The story is changing! Also, enjoy the longer chapter, and expect it to become closer to the norm. I'm thinking I'll have to continue this on past 52 chapters, otherwise we'll be rushing through this like nobody's beeswax, and I want this to be enjoyable for you guys to read.**

**Getting closer and closer to back on schedule, and with much love,**

**PJO Fan Power**


	25. Chapter 25

When Alessia woke up, she was in back at Yancy, in the clinic. The lights and white-washed walls didn't help the roaring headache that appeared alongside consciousness, and she blinked rapidly to acclimate. The nurse, whose name she couldn't be bothered to remember, quickly rushed over.

"Miss Mason, you're awake!" The woman's high-pitched voice echoed like a bomb throughout her head. As if to save her, Grover poked his head into the clinic.

"Alessia," he smiled, "I'm glad you're awake."

Alessia smiled weakly in response, and held up two fingers in a 'peace' gesture. "Yo."

"We were all so worried when you hit your head on those steps, Miss Mason." Yet another voice came from the door as Mr. Brunner rolled in, his kind, relaxed smile instantly putting her at ease.

She frowned. "That's not what..." A flash appeared in her mind as her headache flared up. Thinking about that hurt, it seemed... Another thought flashed through her mind, suddenly. "Where's Percy?"

"Percy?" Her Latin teacher asked. "I don't believe there are any students by that name here."

Alessia nodded slowly. "Uh-huh... Nobody named Perseus Jackson?" Confusion was all that showed on the two's faces.

"You sure she didn't get a concussion, Miss?" Grover turned around, his goatee flailing in the air behind his face.

The woman snorted. "I don't get paid enough for that," she said as she walked out of the room, pushing a cart of what looked like ice packs in front of her. Grover turned back around slowly, eyes wide with surprise.

"O...kay then."

Grover was many things: A good friend, a badass on crutches, someone who you _most definitely _did not want to be in the way of on enchilada day, but a good liar was not one of them... And Alessia could see no signs of a lie on his face. '_Did I get a concussion? Or am I just going insane...?' _She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts, and immediately regretted it when her headache flared back up.

Grover became alert at her groan of pain. "Do you need anything? Water?"

"Please." The boy left for the cafeteria. As soon as the door closed behind him, Alessia looked at her wheelchair-bound teacher. "There's something you're not telling me."

Mr. Brunner sighed. "Indeed... The board has decided that you aren't..." He paused, as if looking for the right words. "...a good fit for the school environment at Yancy."

"So, I'm expelled." Alessia replied bluntly.

Her teacher nodded. "I wouldn't put it like that, but yes. They're asking that you leave once you're feeling well."

"I'm feeling quite fucking fine," She spat as she swung her legs off the bed... which promptly buckled as soon as she put any pressure on them. She groaned as she fell back onto the bed, defeated.

Her teacher didn't react to her profanity, other than seeming slightly amused. "So it seems. Maybe you'd like to rest just a few more minutes until young Mister Underwood can get you some water." Alessia nodded with her eyes squeezed shut. "I'll leave you to rest until he comes back."

The door shut, and the lights dimmed. Alessia opened her eyes. Her bag was right beside her bed, and she dug through it, looking for something in particular. It wasn't her earbuds, not her iPod... It wasn't even the marine biology textbook she had smuggled out of the library months prior. Something poked her finger... That was it! She pulled it out. It was creased around the edge, but it was definitely...

A photo of her, Grover... and Percy. His wavy black hair, his sea-green eyes... They were definitely real. She laid back on the bed, breathing a sigh of relief. So... she wasn't insane. That begged the bigger questions... Where was Percy, and why was everyone acting like he didn't exist?

* * *

Walking away from Yancy wasn't that bad. In fact, she flipped off the school as she left without turning around. Grover had wanted to come with her, but there was no way he'd be back in time for classes.

But... She was still dreading going home. It wasn't that she'd be seeing her mom; no, she was excited about that. It wasn't even disgust at having to share a living space with her stepdad.

No... it was going to be the disappointment on her mom's face as she told her she was expelled from yet another school. She'd tell her, her mom would let out a sigh of defeat, and say, "Well... that's their loss then. The next school will be lucky to have you." It was what she had said the last six times.

She slipped out her phone. It was small, old, and had a cracked screen, but hell if it wasn't _hers_. The screen came to life, the light dimmed. She checked her battery percentage and cursed. Only twelve percent left. That would have to be enough.

She opened up a web browser and typed in 'Human turning into bat". Of course, the search returned _Batman _and _Dracula_. She rolled her eyes, then refined her search. 'Human-bat monster'. The top link was a Wikipedia link to "the Furies". She clicked on the link just as they went into the Queens Midtown Tunnel, and lost her internet connection. She cursed quietly.

"Murphy's Law, hun," A lady across the aisle said, nodding.

Alessia cracked a half-smile. "One day I'll have to find this Murphy guy and teach him a thing or two about things going wrong." The two both laughed quietly, still drawing some glares from the rest of the passengers on the Greyhound, most probably dreading going to work just to do it again the next day. She turned her phone off as she waited for the bus to clear the tunnel. Thanks to Manhattan's traffic, it would probably take a few minutes.

The windows brightened, and Alessia pulled her phone back out. The page on the Furies loaded, but she was now down to eight percent. She frowned, but read through quickly. They were servants of the Greek God of the Underworld, Hades, and served as his tormentors. It all sounded so weird... But then she saw a picture of a marble sculpture located in Athens - it might as well have been a photo of Mrs. Dodds herself!

_'Maybe it's some sort of... of weird mutation. Some government serum or something.' _She tried to reason, but it sounded weak, even to her. She clicked on the hyperlink to Hades. Down to four percent. Honks directly outside of her window in the bumper-to-bumper traffic made her wince. Her headache from before hadn't entirely abated yet, and fighting her dyslexia, even though it was a low-level, was taking its toll on her.

Something the man that looked like Percy had said... "Tell my uncle hello"? She tried clicking on the family tab, but... Geez, the Greek Gods loved to bang... And, also, incest, she noted. Hades, for example, was married to his niece. It was far too complicated to go through all of them, especially considering how many children one of the brothers, Zeus, had.

She tried a new search. 'Greek Perseus'. Another Wikipedia link showed up, and she clicked on it. This time, it was a disambiguation article. 'Did you mean _the hero _Perseus, or _the god _Perseus?' it read, providing links to both. Alessia tapped on the hero Perseus' link first, and she quickly slid through it. But... nope. Perseus died of old age, and the description didn't fit anyway.

She swiped to go back, and then tapped on the other link. It took a while to load, but, finally, 'The Greek God Perseus was originally a-' she started to read before the screen went black. For a second, Alessia didn't register what had happened. Then... it settled it. She cursed again. She slipped her phone back in her bag and fall back onto the seat, scowling.

* * *

**Update schedule is becoming less and less "every Sunday" and more like "whenever I can muster up the willpower to write"... eventually, the hope is I'll get back on schedule, though. Although, next chapter of Magic and Marvel will probably come before this, and those are always longer and drain me heavily. Wanted to get this out tonight, though. **

**Enjoy, I love you, and I understand if you're mad at me.**

**\- PJO Fan Power**

* * *

Extra note: Six months in! We're halfway there, woaaaah, living on a prayeeeer


	26. Chapter 26

When Alessia got home, Gabe was there, sitting at the table, smoking and playing poker. "Girl," he sneered. "Skipping school? I should call the cops on you."

Alessia rolled her eyes. Gabe had enough illegal items at the apartment that if the cops came, they'd arrest him instead of her anyway, and they both knew that. "I got expelled. Is my mom home?"

"No, she's working, like you should be. Gentlemen's Club down on eighth opening up, maybe you should go there." He laughed, and a couple of the other guys around the table, who were well aware she was underage, laughed awkwardly. Alessia just scoffed and brushed past him. This infuriated him, and he grabbed her wrist hard enough that she knew, without a doubt, it'd be leaving bruises. "Don't ignore me, girl! When you're under my roof, you will respect me!"

Alessia winced, and her headache came back in full force. Gabe continued. "Give me your money. You took a Greyhound, no doubt. You smell like cigarettes and piss." _'Pretty sure you're just smelling yourself.' _She thought.

"I don't have any change," she replied.

Gabe looked at her, narrowing his eyes. "Don't lie to me. I need a buy-in for the next round, and since you're living off of _me_, I expect you to chip in." Gabe made minimum wage at some convenience store. Her mom, on the other hand, worked two jobs - a diner in the morning, and a candy store in the afternoon. And she was the one paying for everything while Gabe wasted his wages away on drinking and gambling.

She scoffed and ripped her wrist free of his grasp, and threw her fifteen bucks of change into his lap. "I hope you lose." She said, retreating to her room and slamming the door. She breathed comfortably as she got inside, immediately opening her small window and plopping down on her bed. She drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A couple hours later, Alessia woke up to a knock on her door. A quick glance out the window showed that it was probably mid-evening. She groaned as she sat up, popping joints like they were bubble wrap. "Hello?" She called out. Her door slowly opened, revealing the tired, but smiling face of her mom. "Mom!" Alessia smiled.

"Hey there, sleepy head," Her mom replied softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, now that I can see you," Alessia responded, entirely honest. Her mom's face brightened a bit, and Alessia was glad that she could at least lighten up her day.

Lillian Mason was a young woman, only 36, but life hadn't exactly been kind to her. Her parents had died in a plane crash when she was young, and then she had been sent to her aunt's house until she was 18. She had gone off to college, but came back to care for her aunt when she fell ill. Then, once she died, Lillian was left with no savings, no degree, and no family.

That was when she had met Alessia's father.

"I heard that you were expelled..." Alessia was surprised at the change of topic. Usually they toed around it for a few days. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. I know whatever you did, you did it for the right reasons."

Alessia smiled a half-smile. "Fighting injustice and idiots wherever I go." The two looked at each other for a moment, and then cracked up.

"So..." Lillian started when they were done laughing, "I've been thinking... And I think we should take a trip down to the beach. Just the two of us."

"Montauk?" Alessia nearly gasped in delight when her mother nodded. "Why?"

Lillian smiled, now a bit sad. "I've missed you, and I wanted to hear about your year." She leaned forwards conspiratorially. "And, Gabe is being more annoying than usual." They started laughing again, a bit quieter this time. "I've already got permission from both works, all I need is for you to say yes."

"Won't Gabe be upset?" Her concerns were waved off.

"I made him his casserole and cookies, enough to get him to not care too much."

Alessia frowned. "He doesn't deserve to eat your cookies. They're too good for him." Her mother blushed in appreciation and giggled.

"I'm sure you can steal some as we go. He's asleep on the couch."

Alessia's eyes widened as she realized the implication. "We're leaving tonight?" She squeaked.

"As soon as you're ready to go," came the affirmation. A dangerous twinkle entered Alessia's eyes as she grabbed her backpack.

"Let's go."

* * *

By the time they got to the cabin in Montauk, it was dark, and clouds covered the moon. Alessia hopped out of the car before her mom had even stopped completely, and ran towards the water. The breeze smelled better than any rainy day in New York ever could.

They unpacked quickly, and before long, were sat on the beach. "There's something troubling you, Ali," her mother spoke, using her childhood nickname for her. She was still looking out on the water, a light fog rolling over it.

"I never could fool you," Alessia smiled bittersweetly. "Yeah, something... weird happened at school." All of the sudden, she remembered - her phone! She had never plugged it in.

"Weird... how?" Her mother turned to her and grinned. "Is it a boy?" Alessia blushed, and her mother squealed, but Alessia quickly shushed her.

"Not like how you're thinking, mom!" She facepalmed, dragging her hand down her face. Honestly, you even mention the mere idea of grandchildren-. "Have... Have you ever heard of the Greek God Perseus?"

Her mother spat out the Coke that she was drinking. _'Oh, that's never a good sign.' _Alessia thought. Her mom took a moment to recover. "Yes... Yes I have." She spoke slowly. By this point, Alessia was now getting invested in the conversation, leaning against the arm rails of her faded beach chair. All of the sudden, like a switch flipped, her mom changed the topic. "Did you know that I met your father on this beach?"

Stunned by the change in topic, Alessia all but forgot about Percy, or Perseus, or whatever his name was. This was so much more important. "I... didn't. What?"

"Oh, indeed!" Her mother smiled, reminiscing. "It was just after Aunt Helena died. I had come here to cope, get my mind off of things, and then... I saw him. He was surfing..." For the next half hour, Lillian told her daughter everything she could remember about the week she had met the man she considered to be the love of her life. Up until she saw the girl yawn. "Looks like you're getting tired. Why don't you grab the chair and head inside. Storm's about to come in, wouldn't want anything to get soaked!" They laughed together, and headed inside.

* * *

Alessia's dreams were full of turmoil, as per usual. Women erupting into swarms of bats, but then... It was dark. This... this was not a normal dream. She looked around, attempting to see anything. She looked down, and saw her hands and her body. _Definitely_ not a normal dream. Something compelled her to walk, so she started moving forward.

Eventually, she realized that she was following a path, and the world around her slowly became washed in a purple light. She stopped walking. Before her was a massive hole. She found a rather large rock at the end of the pathway, and chucked it in. Waiting for a minute... she never heard it hit the bottom. She shivered, suddenly cold. A voice boomed out, but only a single word... "Soon..."

Alessia bolted up, covered in sweat. Her eyes were wide as she breathed heavily. That... Hadn't felt like a dream. It had almost felt... _real_. But that was stupid, right? Right...? The way her life had been going the past few days, she wouldn't have been surprised if she was about to become a psychic or something.

She then focused. Voices... from inside the house. She opened the door slowly. One of them was definitely her mother's, and the other was definitely a male's. She held her breath. Had Gabe come to take them back home? To ruin the only time she had spent with her mother in months? She crept around the corner, only to find that it wasn't the back of her stepfather's ugly, balding head, but rather...

Raven-black hair.

* * *

**I'm not going to lie. For some reason, I had... _a lot _of difficulty writing this chapter. I worked on it for three separate days, finally getting up the courage to just knock it out finally tonight. I hope you enjoyed it, it had a lot of work and rewriting put into it.**

**Sorry for the delayed update,**

**PJO Fan Power.**


	27. Chapter 27

This revelation was shocking enough to make Alessia gasp aloud, and the two people's voices stopped. After a few moments, her mother's voice came. "It's alright, Alessia, you can come out." Alessia hesitantly scooted into the cabin's small dining room. Her mother was there, a few streaks of dried tears on her face. The black-haired man remained turned around.

"What's going on?" She asked, then directed her voice towards the stranger, "And who are you?"

The figure turned around slowly. "That hurts, A, really." Alessia stared into the eyes of the man she had seen the other day, when Mrs. Dodds had turned into that bat... a Fury? He was the one who had saved her life! And... he had just called her by the nickname that Percy had given her over the multiple months she had been at Yancy.

"Percy...?" She muttered. It definitely looked like him, if he was a couple years older. Practically a splitting image.

"Bingo," Percy winked. "I was just talking with your mom, here. I can't believe you didn't tell her about Alecto yet. Probably thought you were going crazy, didn't you?"

"I... What? What the hell is happening?" Was this a fever dream? Had she really woken up from the last one? She blinked rapidly, and then pinched herself. Neither of these dispelled the image in front of her, so she was left with no choice but to accept it wasn't a dream.

"Alessia," Percy- Perseus?- spoke firmly. "You are a demigoddess. Half-human, half-god. Your father, not Gabriel, your _real _father, is a Greek God."

"I... see." Alessia processed what had been said for a few solid moments, slowly opening her mouth... "I'm on drugs. I am totally high right now. That is literally the only explanation."

Percy facepalmed. "I... You know what? Let me just show you. Watch. Hands are empty." He held his arms out, palms open, facing toward her. He snapped. Suddenly, a yellow-wrapped burger appeared in his hand. "Double-quarter pounder."

"Congrats, you're a magician." Alessia rolled her eyes. "Going to pull a quarter out from behind my ear next?"

The man sighed. "I'm not a magician. I am Perseus, the God of Currents, Loyalty, Combat, and Heroes."

"Right..." Alessia muttered. "And, so, the great god Perseus spent eight months in a random high school in New York for no reason?"

Perseus leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Not for no reason. I spent eight months in a crappy New York high school to watch over you." Suddenly, his head whipped towards the door. "The Protector approaches." He turned back to Alessia. "Say 'Hi' to G-Man for me, will ya?"

With a brief flash that forced Alessia to close her eyes, the man disappeared from the room. Outside, thunder boomed out, and was quickly followed by a knock on the door. Almost fearful, Alessia stepped towards the door, throwing it open. Grover Underwood, complete with the crutches, stood there, looking almost crazed. "Alessia, Mrs. Mason, we have to go... _now_."

* * *

"You're probably not going to believe what I'm about to tell you," Grover started, "but-"

Alessia interrupted him. "Let me guess, Greek Gods are real, I'm the daughter of one of those gods, and you're something called a protector?" She rattled off, surprising Grover. "And let me guess, you were at Yancy to watch over me?"

"Yes, yes, yes, well, a satyr, actually, and yes... Did I miss something?"

Alessia groaned and slumped back against the seat of the car. "Just a bit... What are we running from, anyway?"

Grover opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a loud roar. "...That," he muttered awkwardly.

Alessia thought for a moment. "Wait, mom, did you know about this?" Her mother, who had been driving silently up until that point, shifted awkwardly.

"Well... yes," She spoke, keeping her eyes on the road as rain pounded the windshield. "Our world and the godly world are separated by a veil called the Mist. I can see through that veil. It's one of the reasons that I attracted your father."

"And you never thought to tell me?" Alessia spoke, her volume raising. It might've been her imagination, but it seemed that the strength of the storm outside seemed to increase in order to match her temper.

"The scent you give off naturally is increased once you know about your heritage, it's why I married Gabe, and..." Alessia was unable to hear the rest of the sentence as lightning struck, and the following thunder came nearly instantly.

"We're in the center of the storm," Grover moaned, "This is not good. I knew I should've come sooner." He was chewing on his beanie nervously.

"Wait, you married Gabe to cover up _my _scent?" Alessia asked.

Lillian tilted her head and started to respond, "Well, I-"

"Mrs. Mason, look out!" Grover yelled, pointing forward. In front of them, a figure was standing in the center of the road. It was too dark to see properly, but... Alessia could've sworn that in the middle of the dark visage's head... she had seen a toothy smile. Lillian jerked the steering wheel to the side to avoid the man, and the car skidding off the side of the road, running face-first into a tree. The windshield instantly shattered, and they were all sent forward, luckily being saved by their seatbelts.

A few sputters of the engine, followed by all of the lights in the car turning off, told them the machine would not be going anywhere any time soon. They quickly unbuckled, and Grover instantly made a beeline for a break in the trees that was emitting some sort of light. "The Camp, we're close!" He shouted.

"What camp?" Alessia shouted back, struggling to be heard over the storm.

Alessia's mother responded. "Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe-haven for demigods like you."

_'They really couldn't have thought of a better name than a racial slur?' _She thought. Aloud, instead, she said, "Well, why haven't I been there, then?" Lillian fell silent.

Another roar erupted from behind them. "Is that... a pig?" She looked at the silhouette. Indeed, it looked like a large pig.

"A boar. And not just any boar..." The figure started to become larger. "A very bloodthirsty one!" Grover yelped. Suddenly, he had a realization. "Hades, why do I even need these things?" He kicked off his shoes and tossed aside his crutches and began to run faster.

"What the hell...?" Alessia wondered. "Was anything real? What's next? Nancy was a magic dummy created to elicit reactions?" In any other circumstance, she would've laughed at her own joke, but running from a murderous pig was a pretty unique scenario.

The boar was getting closer, and it soon became apparent that there was no way they were going to make it to whatever was emitting the light. But... they ran anyway. They made it to the base of the clearing when the boar caught up to them. Now, they had no escape, and were defenseless. Suddenly, Lillian stopped running. "Go, Alessia, keep running. Make it past the tree and you'll be safe!"

"There are hundreds of trees- Wait, Mom, what are you doing?" Alessia skidded to a stop in the mud, lightning flashing around them.

Lillian smiled at her daughter. "Saving your life. Go, don't stop run-" All of the sudden, she was interrupted as the monster ran into her, sending her flying nearly twenty feet away. In an instant, it was on top of her mother, pressing a leg down on her chest. Alessia could do nothing but watch in horror as she climbed to the top of the hill as her mother starting glowing golden and, suddenly, disappeared.

For a second, the world stopped. The rain, the exhaustion, everything.

Then, the anger came. Alessia didn't know how she knew what to do, she just _acted_. She thrust her arms forward and, before her very eyes, the rain took the shape of two ginormous hands that began to match the actions of her own. Everything else was deafened by the wind whipping around her as she grabbed the boar, who suddenly didn't look so threatening, and _ripped _him apart. Instead of blood and guts, the beast dissipated into golden dust that was quickly swept up by the storm.

The water hands fell from her grip and splashed into the ground, and Alessia fell to her knees, her shot of adrenaline quickly fading. Her vision and hearing started to blur, but she felt a force on her collar dragging her, making it over the top of the hill and catching a glimpse of an old farmhouse before everything went black.


	28. Chapter 28

Perseus sighed as he watched Alessia pass out on the boundary line of Camp Half-Blood. She wasn't ready, not by a longshot. Even though she was his sister, he couldn't do anything else to help her. The storm raged on but, as per usual, the camp remained dry.

He hopped out of the tree, landing in a crouch without a sound. "Perseus," A voice intoned dryly. "Haven't seen you since you tossed Hades' son's head at him back in '45."

"Artemis," Perseus acknowledged. "I assume you aren't here to catch up on old times, are you?"

The goddess feigned hurt. "I can't believe you'd assume I'd come for anything else!" She said in a high pitched voice, then rolled her eyes. She continued normally, "No. Your involvement with this demigod is worrying father. With the whispers happening lately..." She trailed off.

"...he's becoming more paranoid than usual?" The sky cracked with lightning. "Oh, screw off! You know it's true!" No lightning came in response to this, so Zeus had either stopped paying attention or was finding out which whorehouse he had left his armor in this time.

"He wants you back on Olympus."

The God of Loyalty paused for a moment. He stared at the Moon Goddess' silver eyes, the goddess staring back unflinchingly. "... Huh. Was my mother's throne restored yet?"

The immortal sighed. "No, Hestia's throne is still occupied by Dionysus."

"Mhm... Dionysus, who literally can't even leave this camp, doesn't participate in meetings, and a fraction as powerful as my mother... What's his saving grace, again?" Artemis grit her teeth.

"Enough!" She shouted, finally fed up. "Gah, you're so infuriating."

Perseus winked at her. "You know you love me anyway."

"I'd love to put an arrow between your shoulderblades," Artemis countered, her aura growing around her.

"And I'd love to see you try," Perseus grinned, grabbing Riptide, whose form nowadays was that of a ring sitting on his left hand. His aura started to grow too, ebbing and growing like a flowing river.

"Children!" A voice thundered, and the two immortals were shocked momentarily before catching a glimpse of the age-old trainer of heroes, Chiron, approaching them. "You are cousins who haven't seen each other in over half a century! Can't you go at least a few minutes without trying to kill each other?"

Perseus sheathed Riptide instantly, turning to his old friend, "Chiron," he said respectfully, bowing. Artemis clicked her tongue in annoyance, but sheathed her silver daggers anyway. "We have much to talk about."

"Why did you think Zeus wanted you on Olympus?" Artemis all but yelled.

"Oh," Perseus replied in his sagelike wisdom. "Yeah... that makes sense."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Percy," he started, one of the only people to call him by that name, "I can't believe..." He stopped for a moment, filling the god's heart with dread as millions of possibilities ran through his head. "I can't believe you sat in my Latin class for _months _and didn't say 'Hello'." Artemis just shook her head in disdain at the interaction.

* * *

"The Great Stirring is underway, and sooner than anticipated, too," Perseus spoke. Zeus frowned, although if you asked Percy, he was just a grumpy guy in general.

"Could it be that we are interacting with the mortal world too much...?" Zeus wondered. Of course, it wasn't his fault! That singer, or actress, or whatever she was... She was an exception, of course.

Perseus stared at him. "How is that a...?" He decided not to pursue the thought, it would only lead to him losing brain cells. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. We need to prepare the campers. War is soon to follow."

"They are just children!" Chiron protested.

Perseus whipped around. "_I _was just a child."

"And do you never regret the path it took you down?" Chiron asked. Perseus was silent. "They need to be inspired by each other, not drilled into the ground by us," he continued. "I dare believe that the reason you were protected Alessia for so many months was because..."

Perseus had lost all of his fury, and instead looked somber. "Yes... She is a hero. And like so many before her, a hero's tragedy awaits."

* * *

"You want me to do _what_?" Alessia questioned. It had been a few days since she had been claimed by Poseidon, and she had been all but alienated by the camp. She sat alone at meals, she stared at the ceiling all night in her cabin... alone.

"I would like for you to train with me," Perseus repeated himself.

Alessia looked at the god in shock. "Wha... Buh... Why me?" She finally settled on a proper question. The god shrugged.

"I dunno, I'm bored." Alessia didn't buy it for a second.

"You're lying to me," she accused.

"Lie? Me? Never," Perseus held a hand to his heart, faux hurt in his voice. "Just kidding. You're right. I'm _incredibly_ bored."

Alessia eyed him warily. "From what I can tell so far, gods being bored never ends well for mortals."

Perseus shrugged. "Sometimes... Sometimes it isn't so bad."

A few minutes later, Alessia coughed in the arena's dust. "This... is terrible..." She groaned, one hand holding a generic-looking sword, the other hand clutching her stomach, a red mark appearing where Perseus had hit her with the flat of his blade.

"You're learning, though," Perseus noted. Alessia glared at him, huffing.

"Learning how to be a punching bag, more like."

Perseus smirked. "Well, at least you're learning. Why don't you take a break, get some water."

_'Finally, a good idea!'_ Alessia thought, until Perseus continued... "With your powers."

Alessia groaned. "This is like calculus, but at least everyone else is struggling with calc, too."

"Reach out with your senses. There's water over there, waiting for you to reach out and grab it. Indeed, there was a table with a large bowl on it, full of water. Nice, refreshing, cold water... Alessia smiled. She could do this. She felt a tug in her naval as she reached out and grabbed it all. "Are you going to drink that entire bowl at once?" Perseus asked from behind her. She dropped the water back in the bowl, some of it sloshing around.

She turned around, glaring at the god. "You did that on purpose," she accused.

He didn't deny it, just raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to yell at me, or are you going to get some water?" He asked. She growled lightly, but turned back, this time grabbing a lesser, more decent amount of water. She levitated it over to her quickly, but just as it was right in front of her, she felt a stinging sensation on the back of her leg and lost her focus, splashing herself with the water.

She looked back to see Perseus holding the flat end of his sword against her leg. Her anger started to boil over. "You know what? I'm done with this. I don't understand if this is one of your stupid games, like practically faking an entire year of my life was, but I am tired of it!" The water tore itself out of her clothes and formed a blade in her hand. It felt... _right_ to her.

Suddenly, she felt like she knew what to do. She started swinging, restarting her training with Perseus. This time, she was just about keeping up with his pace. And... the whole time, he was smiling.

"There you go,", "Remember, keep your elbow at a...", and "Make sure you..." were all pieces of advice he gave to her, and somewhat belatedly, she realized that he had been goading her into trying harder. After a few minutes, she ran out of breath, and she sword melted as her control over it waned.

"You... Jerk..." She said between huffs as she fell backwards onto the sandy floor.

"I've been called worse," he replied, offering a hand. She took it, pulling herself up and slowly dragging herself over to the bowl of water, greedily sipping from a cup and feeling her energy slowly come back. "Alessia?" He called out. She turned to him slowly.

"Yo."

"Nice job."

* * *

**Apologies about the late/slow chapter. I'm out on vacation and really can't seem to muster up a whole lot of motivation to write. We're heading back into Perseus' territory! Sorry if you thought we were going to be going forward heavily with Alessia, we will not. Perseus was, is, and will always be the main character of the story.**

**I hope this chapter showed a bit more of his personality. Artemis is a lot like his godly Thalia, which actually makes sense considering. He is not above small arguments, and before you complain about how OOC that is... it really isn't.**


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